Shanto, Hridoy script magnificent victory

GBDESK//

On a day that BCB president Nazmul Hassan was talking about the inclusion of Mahmudullah Riyad, Bangladesh pulled off a brilliant chase of Ireland’s 319, winning by three wickets, with Najmul Hossain Shanto hitting his maiden ODI ton in a night of triumph.

Bangladesh have mostly suffered in big chases but the ground, the wicket both favoured the chase. Shanto was playing all over the ground, sweeping hard to spinners and taking on the pacers straight down the ground. Shanto was jumping with joy, roaring having scaled his maiden ton. He hit Curtis Campher for a huge six straight down the ground in the 37th over but could not quite finish the job, holed out at deep square-leg with none other than Harry Tector, the other hundred-getter in the match taking the catch. Shanto’s 93-ball 117 had however held the innings together. He was upping the scoring-rate when required, finding boundaries with authority.

It was a ‘brutally cold’ weather, as pace bowling coach Allan Donald, who came to the commentary during the Tigers’ chase put it. “This is a great test for us. Throughout the last 12 months we have worked very very hard on our temperament through these phases with bat and ball. It requires now to really to bat with our heads. It almost requires now to bully the ball on the ground, to hit the sweep as hard. It’s a period where we can take very low risk,” Donald had mentioned; Shanto and Towhid Hridoy were seemingly doing it.