da casino： Interesting moments of the day both on and off the field
Dileep Premachandran in Guyana07-Apr-2007
Breathtaking rally: Tamim Iqbal’s forehand smash over Charl Langeveldt’s head would have put Steffi Graf or Jim Courier to shame © Getty Images
Expensive change: He may be a destructive hitter, butJustin Kemp’s medium pace has never looked international class. And whenGraeme Smith called on him for the 36th over, Bangladesh seized themoment. Aftab Ahmed sent one sailing over long leg, and then pounded outanother magnificent stroke over midwicket. The run rate jumped over four,and Bangladesh rarely had a chance to look back.Pump up the volume: After routing India at Durban with a spell of 4for 13, Andrè Nel had played only five more times for South Africa. Whenthrown the ball today, his impact was immediate. Javed Omar slashed one togully, and Nel’s frenzied pumped-fist celebrations – you sometimes fearhe’ll burst a vein – were typical of a man who should be playing everygame.Paddle away into the distance: Mohammad Ashraful played somescintillating strokes in his 87, but none more so than the paddle sweepswhere he walked across outside off stump and sent the ball to the fine-legfence with a deft twirl of the wrists. To pull it off once was audacious,to repeat it just stupendous.Beaten for pace?: Most new-ball bowlers revel in pushing batsmen onto the back foot with pace. Syed Rasel does the opposite. At times onSaturday, he was so slow through the air that the batsmen could havechanged strokes twice. Smith almost did before getting bowled, and Kallislofted one straight to mid-on. As Neil Manthorp said on the radio, “He’sperhaps the only new-ball bowler who gets batsmen out with his lack ofpace.”Bullseye: As long as Shaun Pollock and Herschelle Gibbs, SouthAfrica’s most accomplished players of spin, were at the crease, there wasalways a faint glimmer of hope. That was extinguished when Tamim Iqbalpounced at mid-off and arrowed in a throw at the bowler’s end to catchPollock a few inches short. Indians and Pakistanis, with their geriatric,useless fielders, watched and wept.Forty love: Iqbal’s tendency to give bowlers the charge cost himeventually, but there was still the shot of the day to savour – a forehandsmash over Charl Langeveldt’s head that would have put Steffi Graf or JimCourier to shame.”Please God, Let Bangladesh Win” So said a banner in the stands aswe walked across for the presentation. “It’s great for the tournament,man, it’s great” yelled the man holding it. “We weren’t the only ones tolose,” shouted another dressed in Indian colours. The locals seemed tothink that this opened up their path to the semi-finals. But they have toget past mighty Bangladesh first!