eelee345Join Date: 2012-03-19
Post Count: 6255 |
Defoe, a batting allrounder who had not come into his own thus far this series, barely having a bowl and not having too many chances to bat or not converting them. He didn't fail today.
A collapsed chase looked like Bangladesh were on their way to a consolation win. Debutant Nastyeddie played all around a straight one from Taskin Ahmed to be pinned in front. While Zammy attempted to play out the rest of the over, he was soon pinned in front in the third over. Canada had slipped to 0/2.
NHL managed to get Canada off the mark with a sole six, but fell the ball after, and soon, Fox edged to slip. Canada had now been reduced to 6/4. Six for four. Digest that. Donny, still missing an innings of note in ODI cricket, was now batting with a man in healthy form, Poi.
Nasty was not the only debutant to have a horror start to his ODI career. Redd, a left-arm seamer making his debut in the place of Vikings, had to endure 9 wicketless overs for 69 runs. An inauspicious debut. However, the rest of his team was not much better- Defoe, the batting allrounder, ended up being the pick of the bowlers with figures of 1/30, with an economy rate that stood out. Rune finally picked up his first wicket, after some long travails without one. He finished with figures of 1/47, leaving him with the humbling bowling average of 152.00. In the end, it took a brilliant century from Mahmudullah to power Bangladesh to 312.
Donny began to attack. Does he really know how to play any other way? In a good sign ahead of the sole T20I, Donny blasted 48 off just 27, with seven sixes. He very rarely ran, which was in complete contrast in Poi's method of accumulating runs. Donny managed to get Canada on track by the end of the powerplay, and if he stayed in another 10 overs, it was Canada's game with Defoe, Sports and Rune to come.
But of course, who is to tell Donny to play out another ten overs. Looking to attack Sabbir Rahman and go to a maiden ODI fifty, Donny was pinned clean in front and Defoe was out in the middle. Poi soon lost his wicket and Canada were six down with only 79 on the board. Sports and Defoe began a crawling stand, adding 14 runs in 9 overs, before Sports was taken out trying to whip Nasir Hossain to the leg side.
Out strode Rune, and together the two of them counterattacked. Eventually, the equation was shortened to 182 off the final 20 overs. Still, the two of them were unworried. They continued taking singles for the next five overs, bringing the equation down to 158 off the final 15 overs.
Rune and Defoe each hit a six as they began trying to build. Each of the five overs went for more than 7, and thus 9 an over was achieved in the five overs. It was now 113 required off 10 overs.
And disaster struck. Rune fell in the very next over, for a well-crafted 66 but well short of the finish line. Now it was on to the debutant, Redd, to help win the match with Defoe. Canada only managed to take five off that over. The next over was Taskin's last over, and Defoe did not attack it. The equation was now 104 off 8, with only four from that over.
And then came Shakib. Defoe blasted him. 642461. 23 from the over. 81 required from 7. Redd managed to hit the first six of his career in the next over, and Canada needed 72 from the final 6 overs. Again, another wicket dented the chase. Redd fell in the same over that Defoe was dropped on 87. Out strode Captain Cap, with 67 still required from the final 5 overs. 13.4 an over. In the next over, Defoe finally got his strike over 100, as well as bringing up his maiden One Day International hundred, 104 from 102 deliveries. With two big sixes, he managed to take 14 from that over and keep the run rate in check. 53 off 4.
A bunch of single taking ensued after Defoe clouted a single boundary in that over, making it 9 from the over and raising the required run rate to 14.66. However, two massive sixes over the onside ensured that the rate remained in check going into the final two overs. 28 from the final 2. Another six coupled with singles ensured that the game was not out of Canada's reach in the final over. It was 17 required.
Two. 15 from 5 balls One. 14 from 4 balls. Cap on strike. One. 13 from 3 balls. Defoe on strike. Four. 9 from 2 balls. Four. 5 from 1 ball. Six. Game over. Let's go home.
And with that, Canada secured a historic whitewash. Defoe had accelerated incredibly, blasting his last 47 runs off 17 deliveries, at nearly a strike rate of 300. He surely ensured that he would keep his spot going into the next ODI series in Sri Lanka.
BOWLING FIGURES:
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BATTING FIGURES:
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