Umar Akmal drives off the back foot

Umar Akmal drives off the back foot, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011

 ©AFP

Umar Akmal drives off the back foot, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011 ©AFP

Play was halted when the floodlights failed at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium

Play was halted when the floodlights failed at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011

 ©AFP

Play was halted when the floodlights failed at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011 ©AFP

Elias Sunny is bowled by Shoaib Malik

Elias Sunny is bowled by Shoaib Malik, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011

 ©AFP

Elias Sunny is bowled by Shoaib Malik, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011 ©AFP

Umar Akmal with the Man of the Match and Man of the Series trophies

Umar Akmal with the Man of the Match and Man of the Series trophies, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011 

©AFP

Umar Akmal with the Man of the Match and Man of the Series trophies, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011

The Pakistan team poses with series trophy

The Pakistan team poses with series trophy, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011 

©AFP

The Pakistan team poses with series trophy, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011 ©AFP

Cool and Cool ODI Sries 2011

Nasir Hossain gives Umar Akmal a ride on the bike he won as Bangladesh's best player of the series

Nasir Hossain gives Umar Akmal a ride on the bike he won as Bangladesh's best player of the series, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011 

©AFP

Nasir Hossain gives Umar Akmal a ride on the bike he won as Bangladesh's best player of the series, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Chittagong, December 6, 2011 ©AFP

Bangladesh v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Mirpur

Bangladesh batsmen must step up

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya

December 2, 2011

 Tamim Iqbal

Match facts

Saturday, December 3
Start time 1330 (0730 GMT)

Big Picture

Bangladesh are floundering. Their performance has been just as abject as Pakistan's has been dominant. The depth in the pace attack that gave Pakistan that extra advantage against Sri Lanka in the Test series in the Middle East has been complemented superbly by their spinners in the limited-overs formats. Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez have outshone their Bangladesh counterparts, whose over-reliance on Shakib Al Hasan's all-round abilities can only take them so far.

The slow and low tracks in Mirpur may have stifled Pakistan's batting, but it's done worse for the hosts. Their captain Mushfiqur Rahim said: "I have not experienced what home advantage is in the last two series, to be honest with you. When you talk about home advantage, you expect to be playing on pitches you are familiar with, so you know what a good total would be, be it 240 or 150." But he was also prompt to point out that his batsmen "lacked application". They lasted just 30.3 overs in the previous game, struggled to last 20 overs in the Twenty20 game before that and even in Tests, and have largely found it tough to bat for extended periods.

The pitches so far may not have been to their liking, but they've still played to Bangladesh's strength - spin. They've just been up against opponents who, apart from being significantly superior, have exploited those conditions better. Not many expected Bangladesh to cause an upset against an opponent that is on a high, but not many would have thought they'd capitulate this badly at home. With four games still remaining on the tour, their batsmen, especially, need to step up as no one's exposed the difference between the teams as glaringly as they have.

Form guide

Bangladesh: LWLLW (most recent first)
Pakistan: WWWWL

In the spotlight...

Tamim Iqbal missed the Twenty20 game due to a knee injury and was dismissed for a duck in the first ODI. A fluent strokemaker, he's also shown the ability to play long innings, and in testing conditions he's among the best equipped in his side to face the Pakistan bowling. He got half-centuries in each of the two home Tests against West Indies before this series and as their best batsman, needs to lead by example.

Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, has done reasonably well behind the stumps but hasn't really impressed with the bat. He has an average of 45.16 in first-class cricket but has only managed a highest of 24 in his last five innings. Pakistan have been trying out Umar Akmal behind the stumps in some limited-overs matches, and Sarfraz needs to do much more with the bat to keep his place.

Team news

Bangladesh may look to bring Imrul Kayes back to strengthen their batting.

Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Shahriar Nafees, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Naeem Islam, 8 Nasir Hossain, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain.

Pakistan are likely to retain the same side as they attempt to take the series, and leave any experimentation for the third ODI.

Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Shoaib Malik, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Aizaz Cheema.

Stats and trivia

• Mushfiqur Rahim is just 14 away from reaching 2000 runs in ODIs. He'll be the sixth Bangladesh batsman to get to that landmark when he does.

Quotes

"If the batsmen want they can survive. You can take singles, rotate the strike and play yourself in. Maybe because of Twenty20 cricket now, batsmen don't have the temperament."
Shahid Afridi presents a different take on the Mirpur pitch

Siddhartha Talya is a sub editor at ESPNcricinfo

Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur

Afridi's five leads rout of Bangladesh

The Report by George Binoy

December 1, 2011

Shahid Afridi

Pakistan's battery of spinners used the considerable bounce and turn in the Mirpur pitch to exploit the inadequate temperaments and techniques of Bangladesh's batsmen, routing them for 91 to set up what should have been a facile victory in the first of three one-day internationals. It wasn't. Pakistan made a mess of chasing the small target, which Bangladesh defended spiritedly. They lost more wickets and took longer than they would have liked, as the match sparked to life before victory was finally achieved with plenty of overs to spare.

To subdue and wreck Bangladesh, Misbah-ul-Haq used four spinners - Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Saeed Ajmal - for 22.3 out of 30.3 overs, and they had combined figures of 8 for 56. Though Afridi emerged the star, taking his seventh five-wicket haul in ODIs, the Bangladesh innings was rotting before he came on to bowl. Pakistan's chase had also begun to rot when Afridi came to bat at 63 for 5 in the 18th over. His innings wasn't pretty, but it cured Pakistan of the yips and secured the series lead.

The match began with Mushfiqur Rahim wining the toss, but little went right for Bangladesh after that. It was inevitable that Hafeez would take the first new ball, especially with two left-hand openers, and he had immediate success. Tamim Iqbal, who returned to the team after recovering from a knee injury, moved across his stumps and was trapped on the back foot by a delivery that darted into him from round the wicket. Hafeez's wicket maiden set the tone for the rest of the innings.

Umar Gul had first use of the other new ball, and though there was little assistance from the pitch for the fast bowler, the Bangladesh batsmen couldn't get the ball off the square. They had scored only 2 after 5.2 overs when Naeem Islam hit one past Gul to the straight boundary. He edged the next ball to slip.

Against spin, Bangladesh were stagnant. Hafeez tormented Shahriar Nafees, who would score only 2 off his first 23 deliveries. He found the left-hand batsman's outside edge three times - two fell short of Younis Khan at first slip, and one flew wide.

Bangladesh doubled their score in the eighth over, which they began on 8 for 2. Gul bowled a high bouncer over Mushfiqur's head for five wides, and was clipped towards deep square leg for three. The first proper forceful shot was in the tenth over, when Nafees cut Gul to the backward-point boundary. Bangladesh were 26 for 2 after the mandatory Powerplay.

Misbah then made a double bowling change, bringing on the legspinner Afridi and the offspinner Malik. It was Malik who struck first, getting Mushfiqur to edge an attempted cut to the wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed; the extra bounce was the Bangladesh captain's undoing. Afridi then struck twice. In his second over, the 13th of the innings, Afridi used the extra bounce to have Nafees caught at point while trying to cut off. Two balls later he bowled a legbreak that spun sharply and took the outside edge of Mahmudullah's forward defence. Bangladesh were 31 for 5 and the world's No.1 one-day bowler, Ajmal, hadn't been used yet.

Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain began to repair the substantial damage but they had miles to go to get the job done. They didn't get far. Their partnership was worth 36 when Hossain attempted to pull a delivery from Aizaz Cheema that wasn't that short. Hossain was unbalanced as he made contact and the top edge swirled towards square leg, where Sarfraz held it.

Only Shakib remained for Bangladesh and he too fell to the cut, caught at point off Afridi. At 71 for 7, the end was only a matter of time. Afridi took two more to complete his five-for, and didn't even stop to celebrate his success with his trademark star-man pose.

There was little sign of the tension that would briefly grip Pakistan's chase when their openers came out before the session break and added 36 in nine overs. Imran Farhat then played on to Nasir Hossain, beginning a phase in which four wickets fell in four successive overs for eight runs. Younis Khan was perhaps unlucky to be given caught behind but the rest fell to soft dismissals.

Misbah then batted with the sole aim of steering Pakistan to the break without losing another wicket. He edged a couple but dead-batted most of his first 16 deliveries, remaining scoreless. And then he slammed Shakib for a huge six over wide long-on, easing the pressure as Pakistan went into a 40-minute interval on 58 for 4, needing 34 more.

Umar Akmal was bowled by Shakib in the first over after play resumed. He was trying to cut as well. The crowd that had grown increasingly vocal as Pakistan slipped roared once more. For the final time, though, because Afridi silenced them. He made use of Nafees dropping him at slip off Shakib and hit three consecutive fours off the same bowler to drive Pakistan to the verge of victory. Afridi then edged Shakib wide of slip to finish the game as the highest wicket-taker and the top run-scorer. He had made only 24.

Innings Dot balls 4s 6s PP1 PP2 PP3 Last 10 overs NB/Wides Bangladesh 138 7 0 26-2 19-0 (16-20) 0/8 Pakistan 121 13 1 37-1 23-1 (16-20) 0/4

George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Shahid Afridi claimed his fourth ODI five for of the year

Shahid Afridi claimed his fourth ODI five-for of the year, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©Associated Press

Shahid Afridi claimed his fourth ODI five-for of the year, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©Associated Press

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M Usman Arshad

Shakib Al Hasan is congratulated on dismissing Younis Khan

Shakib Al Hasan is congratulated on dismissing Younis Khan, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

Shakib Al Hasan is congratulated on dismissing Younis Khan, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

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M Usman Arshad

Mohammad Hafeez punches one to the off side

Mohammad Hafeez punches one to the off side, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

Mohammad Hafeez punches one to the off side, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011
©AFP

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M Usman Arshad

Nasir Hossain signals the end of Imran Farhat

Nasir Hossain signals the end of Imran Farhat, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

Nasir Hossain signals the end of Imran Farhat, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

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M Usman Arshad

Shahid Afridi playing to the leg side

Shahid Afridi works one to the leg side, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

Shahid Afridi works one to the leg side, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

Posted by

M Usman Arshad

Misbah ul Haq weaves out of the way of a short ball

Misbah ul Haq weaves out of the way of a short ball, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

Misbah ul Haq weaves out of the way of a short ball, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

Posted by

M Usman Arshad

Umar Gul is pumped up after taking a wicket

Umar Gul is pumped up after taking a wicket, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

Umar Gul is pumped up after taking a wicket, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

Posted by

M Usman Arshad

December 2011 cricket schedules

December 2011 cricket schedules

December 2011
01 Thu	Trans-Tasman Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v New Zealand at Brisbane, 1st Test - Day 1 Pakistan in Bangladesh ODI Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, 1st ODI
02 Fri	Trans-Tasman Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v New Zealand at Brisbane, 1st Test - Day 2 West Indies in India ODI Series, 2011/12 India v West Indies at Visakhapatnam, 2nd ODI
03 Sat	Trans-Tasman Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v New Zealand at Brisbane, 1st Test - Day 3 Pakistan in Bangladesh ODI Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, 2nd ODI
04 Sun	Trans-Tasman Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v New Zealand at Brisbane, 1st Test - Day 4
05 Mon	Trans-Tasman Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v New Zealand at Brisbane, 1st Test - Day 5 West Indies in India ODI Series, 2011/12 India v West Indies at Ahmedabad, 3rd ODI
06 Tue	Pakistan in Bangladesh ODI Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Chittagong, 3rd ODI
07 Wed
08 Thu	West Indies in India ODI Series, 2011/12 India v West Indies at Indore, 4th ODI
09 Fri	Trans-Tasman Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v New Zealand at Hobart, 2nd Test - Day 1 Pakistan in Bangladesh Test Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Chittagong, 1st Test - Day 1
10 Sat	Trans-Tasman Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v New Zealand at Hobart, 2nd Test - Day 2 Pakistan in Bangladesh Test Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Chittagong, 1st Test - Day 2
11 Sun	Trans-Tasman Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v New Zealand at Hobart, 2nd Test - Day 3 Pakistan in Bangladesh Test Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Chittagong, 1st Test - Day 3 West Indies in India ODI Series, 2011/12 India v West Indies at Chennai, 5th ODI
12 Mon	Trans-Tasman Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v New Zealand at Hobart, 2nd Test - Day 4 Pakistan in Bangladesh Test Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Chittagong, 1st Test - Day 4
13 Tue	Trans-Tasman Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v New Zealand at Hobart, 2nd Test - Day 5 Pakistan in Bangladesh Test Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Chittagong, 1st Test - Day 5
14 Wed
15 Thu	Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2011/12 South Africa v Sri Lanka at Centurion, 1st Test - Day 1
16 Fri	Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2011/12 South Africa v Sri Lanka at Centurion, 1st Test - Day 2
17 Sat	Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2011/12 South Africa v Sri Lanka at Centurion, 1st Test - Day 3 Pakistan in Bangladesh Test Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, 2nd Test - Day 1
18 Sun	Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2011/12 South Africa v Sri Lanka at Centurion, 1st Test - Day 4 Pakistan in Bangladesh Test Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, 2nd Test - Day 2
19 Mon	Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2011/12 South Africa v Sri Lanka at Centurion, 1st Test - Day 5 Pakistan in Bangladesh Test Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, 2nd Test - Day 3
20 Tue	Pakistan in Bangladesh Test Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, 2nd Test - Day 4
21 Wed	Pakistan in Bangladesh Test Series, 2011/12 Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, 2nd Test - Day 5
22 Thu
23 Fri
24 Sat
25 Sun
26 Mon	Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v India at Melbourne, 1st Test - Day 1 Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2011/12 South Africa v Sri Lanka at Durban, 2nd Test - Day 1
27 Tue	Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v India at Melbourne, 1st Test - Day 2 Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2011/12 South Africa v Sri Lanka at Durban, 2nd Test - Day 2
28 Wed	Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v India at Melbourne, 1st Test - Day 3 Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2011/12 South Africa v Sri Lanka at Durban, 2nd Test - Day 3
29 Thu	Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v India at Melbourne, 1st Test - Day 4 Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2011/12 South Africa v Sri Lanka at Durban, 2nd Test - Day 4
30 Fri	Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2011/12 Australia v India at Melbourne, 1st Test - Day 5 Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2011/12 South Africa v Sri Lanka at Durban, 2nd Test - Day 5
31 Sat