Instances when Mushfiqur Rahim failed to take Bangladesh over the line

Bangladesh and Mushfiqur Rahim are well known for bottling winning chances in key moments especially during the chases that go down to the wire. Rahim has got out five times in his ODI/T20I career in the last over when Bangladesh needed less than ten runs to win. The latest of those was during the ongoing 3-match ODI series in Windies where Bangladesh suffered a 3-run defeat in the 2nd ODI. They not only missed a chance to win the game but also to seal the series with one game still to be played.

Here we look at some of the instances where Mushfiqur Rahim failed to complete a chase while it was well within reach.

1. Windies vs Bangladesh, 2nd ODI in 2018, Guyana:

Bangladesh were on course of a series win in Windies as they were cruising towards a win chasing 272 in the 2nd ODI. Mushfiqur Rahim, who scored a quick-fire 30 in the first ODI, was taking his team towards a victory with an unbeaten 68 after the fifties from Shakib Al Hasan (56) and Tamim Iqbal (54) shaped it up for them. Bangladesh needed only eight runs from the last seven deliveries with six wickets in hand.

Sabbir Rahman failed to clear a low full toss from Kemo Paul on the last ball of the penultimate over as he was caught at deep mid-wicket. The Windies skipper Jason Holder took the responsibility of defending eight runs in the final over. However, Holder missed the length and delivered a near waist high full-toss to Mushfiqur who hit it straight to Keemo Paul in the cow corner region. Bangladesh managed to score only four runs in the next four balls and ended up on the losing side.

2. Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh, 3rd ODI in 2011, Harare:

Bangladesh lost the first two ODI of the 5-match ODI series in Zimbabwe and needed a win to stay alive in the series. Big fifties from Tatenda Taibu (83) and Hamilton Masakadza (74) helped Zimbabwe to finish on 250/7 in the 50 overs. Mushfiqur Rahim walked out to bat at No.4 after his team lost their 2nd wicket for 66 runs in the 18th over. Chasing 251, Bangladesh needed big partnership as the 61-run 5th wicket alliance between Rahim and Shuvagata Hom (32 off 36) was the highest in their innings.

Rahim, who brought up his fifty in 70 balls with three fours, accelerated when the required rate was closing towards nine an over. His ability to find the boundaries brought down the equation to 22 needed from 19 balls but Bangladesh lost four wickets in the next 13 deliveries. Rahim was stranded on 99 with the last batsman Nazmul Hossain in the final over where they needed eight runs.

He ran a couple on the first ball of the 50th over bowled by Christopher Mpofu to bring up his century in only 99 balls. He took just 29 balls for his 2nd fifty during which he hit five fours and a six in the penultimate over. Rahim hit one straight down the ground when they needed six runs from five balls but could only find the long-on fielder. The Man of the Match, Rahim waited to celebrate his century after the win which never happened.

3. Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, 3rd T20I in 2018, Dehradun:

Afghanistan claimed the 3-match T20I series by outplaying Bangladesh in the first two matches. The visitors bounced back well in the dead rubber game to ensure they weren’t whitewashed. They restricted Afghans to a mediocre total of 145/6 but were four down in the 9th over with only 53 runs on the board. Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah took the things forward with a fifty-run stand for the 5th wicket but runs didn’t come at the desired pace against the spinners.

With 30 needed from the last two overs, Rahim decided to take on the pacer Karim Janat. He struck five fours with five consecutive deliveries, all with five different shots and five different directions. Rahim took a single off the last ball to retain the strike against Rashid Khan in the final over where they needed nine runs. However, Mushfiqur’s gritty 37-ball 46 came to an end when he went for a slog sweep only to find Najibullah Zadran at deep square leg.

Bangladesh got five runs in the next four balls as the equation came down to four from the last ball. Ariful Haque nearly cleared the fence on the final delivery but a sensational effort from Shafiqullah Shafaq didn’t let him have the joy. Shafaq ensured he saved four runs for his team as Mahmudullah was run out at the keeper’s end attempting the third run to tie the game. Mushfiqur was awarded the Man of the Match for his efforts with the bat.

4. Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI in 2014, Dhaka:

Bangladesh lost the 2-match Test series against the touring Sri Lankans 1-0 in a series that will be remembered for the big totals. They lost the T20I series as well 2-0 despite taking the games down to the last ball. The hosts finally had their chance to defeat the Lankans in the first ODI game at Dhaka after bundling out the opposition to 180 in a 43 overs-a-side affair. They lost Anamul Haque’s wicket on the 2nd ball of the innings before Shamsur Rahman (62) and Mominul Haque (44) steadied the ship.

Both the batsmen scored at a quick pace as they were 114/2 in the 20th over and they needed just 67 more runs to win from 141 balls. The skipper Mushfiqur Rahim walked out to bat at No.4 and stood at one end ensuring the team came closer towards the target. However, he was involved in two runouts while Sachitra Senanayake and Angelo Mathews took two wickets apiece to bring Sri Lanka back into the game. As a result, the hosts needed 19 runs for a win in six overs but had only two wickets in hand.

Mushfiqur, who was batting on 27 off 49 balls, went across to play a scoop on an outside off stump delivery from Mathews. But the Bangladesh skipper ended up hitting it towards the left of wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara who completed the catch. Bangladesh lost the game by 13 runs even though they still had 22 balls to play for. Sri Lanka completed a 3-0 whitewash with comfortable wins in the next two ODIs of the series.

5. Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh, 1st T20I in 2013, Bulawayo:

Bangladesh faced Zimbabwe in the first of the 2-match T20I series in Bulawayo. The series was supposed to be Mushfiqur Rahim’s last as captain. He had resigned under the heat of a 2-1 defeat in the ODI series to Zimbabwe having lost the last two ODIs after a big win in the first match. Hamilton Masakadza’s 48-ball 59 and Brendon Taylor’s 25-ball 40 helped Zimbabwe post 168/5 in their 20 overs after electing to bat first.

Shakib Al Hasan’s 40-ball 65 and Shamsur Rahman’s 48-ball 53 kept Bangladesh ahead on the chase after losing Tamim Iqbal’s wicket early on. Rahim walked out to bat in the 15th over after both the set batsmen got out in the same over with 49 runs to win. The skipper hit two sixes and a four as he raced to a 13-ball 28 to bring down the equation to 10 runs from the last over.

Mushfiqur went for a big heave on the first ball of the final over bowled by Tinashe Panyangara. However, he failed to convert the low full toss only to be caught by the deep square-leg fielder. Bangladesh could only score three runs in the next five balls and ended up losing the game by six runs. In the 2nd T20I, they made exactly 168 and won the game by 34 runs to level the series.

6. India vs Bangladesh, Match 25 in WT20 2016, Bangalore:

The 2016 World T20 game between India and Bangladesh at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore was crucial for both the teams. After electing to field first, Bangladeshi bowlers got their line and length right to keep the Indians down to a total of 146/7. In the chase, Bangladesh shuffled their batting order to counter the Indian spinners but it fetched mixed results. Mushfiqur Rahim walked out to bat at No.8 when they needed 21 runs in 13 balls.

Mahmudullah hit the last ball of the 18th over for a boundary while six singles came from the 19th over bowled by Jasprit Bumrah. Young Hardik Pandya was given the responsibility to defend 11 runs from the last over as senior team-mates flocked him with suggestions on what to do.

Rahim hit the 2nd ball of the over for a boundary, sending the slower ball over the extra cover region. He followed it with a scoop shot which luckily worked and got him another boundary. The keeper-batsman celebrated their win already with a fist-pump as the equation came down to two needed from last three balls.

On the 4th delivery, Rahim played a pull on a well-executed short ball from Pandya. He could only send it straight into the hands of Shikhar Dhawan at deep midwicket. Mahmudullah found Ravindra Jadeja at the same position trying to slog on low full-toss. MS Dhoni’s smart work behind the wickets ensured a one-run win for India as Bangladesh failed to sneak at least a bye on the last delivery. Thus Bangladesh were out of the WT20 2016 with their 3rd consecutive defeat in the Super 10 round.

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