Tigers’ fans had something to cheer as Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team, led from the front by their skipper Mehedi Hasan Miraz, recorded a brilliant 29-run victory over their South African counterparts in Durban on Tuesday in a 30-over curtailed match.
This win saw our under-19 team take a flattering 2-0 lead in the seven- match youth ODI series and for Tigers’ fans back in home something to cheer as it was somewhat a relief as the senior South African side drubbed Bangladesh 2-0 in T20 series, also on Tuesday, at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium at Mirpur.
Junior Tigers ran into trouble as they faced an early batting debacle after being reduced to 49 for 3 in 13.3 overs. Earlier South African skipper Kyle Verreynne won the coveted toss and invited Bangladesh to bat first.
However, Mehedi was not in a mood to be daunted as he found wicketkeeper-batsman Zakir Hasan ready to help him to stop the rot with an enterprising 60-run partnership which saw the junior Tigers scamper to a moderate 157 at the end of 30 overs.
The highlight of Bangladesh innings was a superb half-century by captain Mehedi who scored a defiant 57 off 50 balls an innings which was studded with eight fours while Zakir’s share was equally well-compiled with 33 off 30 balls.
The hosts knew that the total was not imposing; all they need was a good start, while Bangladesh too realized that their set target was really commanding.
So it was left to Bangladesh bowlers to respond from the very onset of the South African reply. They did not falter as a superb burst by Bangladesh bowlers saw South Africa reduced to 59 for 5.
Aaquin Ebrahim with 39, Mulder with 25 and S Whitehead with an unbeaten 14 made valiant efforts but in the end junior South African succumbed to 128 for 9 in their allotted 30 overs.
Once again it was skipper Mehedi who hogged the headlines as he was one of the wreckers-in-chief for Bangladesh. He along with Mosabbek Hossain captured three scalps each for the visitors.
Mehedi finished with figures of 3 for 33 in six overs; Mosabbek gave away just 19 runs in his five overs for his three wickets. Seamer Rifat Pradhan, who earlier bowled a deadly spell, finished with miserly figures of 2 for 13 as the South Africans found the target too steep, as they crawled to 128 for 9 at the end of their innings.
Mehedi was named player of the match for his all-round efforts.
