Bangladesh’s Batting Collapse in Rawalpindi: Champions Trophy Dreams in Jeopardy

In the batting paradise of Rawalpindi, Bangladesh displayed helplessness as they fell short of their expected target. After talking about scoring 300-350 runs, the Tigers could only manage 220 runs. With a disastrous batting performance, Bangladesh's dreams of progressing in the Champions Trophy now seem to be fading. To stay alive in the race for the semifinals, this match was a must-win for Bangladesh. However, in the most crucial game, the batting line-up, led by Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, produced the worst performance.

After losing the toss and being put to bat, the Bangladesh batsmen struggled to stay afloat. They surrendered meekly to the opposition, setting an example of utter helplessness. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad failed to counter the New Zealand bowlers and gave away wickets with reckless batting. The only exceptions were Najmul Hossain Shanto and Zakir Ali, whose responsible batting in the early and later stages respectively helped Bangladesh post a competitive total.

In a crucial match, Bangladesh crumbled to just 250 runs. New Zealand's Michael Bracewell destroyed Bangladesh's batting with exceptional figures. In his 10-over spell, Bracewell gave away just 26 runs while taking 4 wickets, marking his career-best bowling figures in ODIs. At one point, the Bangladesh team’s score was a mere 45 during the opening partnership between Tamim Iqbal and Najmul Hossain Shanto. The innings soon fell apart, with Tamim, on 24, playing a reckless shot and getting out.

Shanto's decision to open led to an improvement in the batting order, with Mehedi Hasan Miraz moving to number 3. But Miraz's effort was also disappointing; after facing 14 balls, he could only score 13 runs. The hero of the last match, Towhid Hridoy, who had scored a century against India, looked lost in Rawalpindi. He failed miserably, with only 7 runs from 24 balls without hitting a boundary, before falling victim to Bracewell.

Experienced campaigner Mushfiqur Rahim, too, failed to stand up when the team needed him the most, scoring just 2 runs. In the previous match, he had been dismissed for a duck. Bracewell completed his four-wicket haul by dismissing Mahmudullah Riyad, who, after replacing Soumya Sarkar in the playing XI, could manage just 4 runs from 14 balls. With both Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah failing, Bangladesh found themselves in further trouble.

Despite the constant fall of wickets, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto fought valiantly. He took responsibility, scoring 50 off 71 balls to complete his 10th ODI fifty. However, Shanto couldn't progress to a century, as he was caught off a bouncer by Will O'Rorke. He made 77 runs from 9 boundaries before returning to the pavilion.

Recent best performer, Zakir Ali, continued to fight for his team. His natural batting style helped him hold on to his wicket and play some wonderful shots. Rishad Hossain also contributed with a cameo, but was dismissed for 26 runs by Matt Henry before he could build on his innings.

In the 44th over, Zakir hit a boundary off Matt Henry, bringing Bangladesh's total to 200. Like in the previous match, Zakir tried to salvage the team's dignity amidst the collapse, providing some hope for Bangladesh.

Ultimately, Bangladesh fell short with just 220 runs, putting their hopes in the Champions Trophy semifinals in serious jeopardy.