And that’s me done. We’ll be back (much) later for Australia v Afghanistan with Mitch Marsh’s team having the same opportunity as India had here: sorting their semi-final slot with a game to spare. Thanks for your company today. Bye!
20th over: Bangladesh 146-8 (Mahedi 5, Tanzim 1). It’s done. India are surely on their way to a semi-final next week. The only question is who will it be against?
A short ball pulled straight down the throat of Axar. Another international wicket for Arshdeep, who has a very handy record at these World Cups. One ball to go.
19th over: Bangladesh 142-7 (Mahmadullah 12, Mahedi 4). A boundary off Bumrah! It’s to the third man rope off an edge, denying him a single-digit run concession – he finishes with 2/13. There will be no commemorative DVD of this match.
A wee bit tougher to do it against Bumrah, as Rishad learns here when trying to pull him through midwicket and awkwardly slicing to cover. And that’s exactly how he falls to the next delivery, the miscue this time reaching the captain at cover.
18th over: Bangladesh 137-6 (Mahmadullah 11, Rishad 24). And TWO MORE from Rishad! Go you good thing! Axar gets thumped over his head twice by the young man, who is growing on me. Let them revamp this Bangladesh team in his image, I say.
17th over: Bangladesh 122-6 (Mahmadullah 9, Rishad 11). As Bangladesh reflect on their last few weeks, the biggest positives will be Tanzim Hasan with the new ball and Rishad Hossain’s leggies. Well, the latter isn’t one for giving up either – he steers Arshdeep for four then launches him over deep midwicket for SIX to end this over. It won’t count for much but it demonstrates a player who has plenty to offer at age 21.
Slog, top edge, deep midwicket, gone. Arshdeep joins Bumrah in the book.
16th over: Bangladesh 110-5 (Mahmadullah 8, Jaker Ali 1). Jaker Ali is off the mark and keeps the strike with a flick. A wicket and two runs off Bumrah. I come back to my earlier question – who can credibly stop India? It’ll take an implosion in the semi-final or final for any other outcome than the men in blue winning this trophy.
Bumrah’s back to do as Bumrah does and he’s in the book with Shanto caught at deep third having tried to slog him over deep midwicket. Arshdeep does the rest a few metres inside the rope. They’re in cruise control. Who beats them?
15th over: Bangladesh 108-4 (Shanto 40, Mahmadullah 7). What of this Bangladesh team when the tournament is done, I wonder? Mahmadullah is 36 and has a career that goes back to the late 2000s. Shakib is older still, having turned 37 a few months ago. Massive contributors, both. But is this where they move on? What’s certain: they aren’t going any further in this World Cup with India about to guarantee progress.
14th over: Bangladesh 100-4 (Shanto 39, Mahmadullah 1). Ever so close to two in two for Kuldeep when sending down a wrong’un to die for at Mahmadullah first ball – missed both the outside edge then the top of the off-stump by no more than an inch combined. 97 needed from the final six overs, which is not going to happen. Kuldeep, by the way, finishes with the superb analysis of 3/19 from four overs. Yummy.
Six and out for the umpteenth time today! Shakib launched his fellow left-arm spinner down the ground for a big one but miscues a slower ball outside the off-stump with the top edge ending up with Rohit at backward point – very similar to how the Indian captain himself was dismissed earlier in the match.
13th over: Bangladesh 91-3 (Shanto 37, Shakib 5). Jadeja has given them a few short balls to hit off him so far and the most is made of this one, Shanto heaving it over the midwicket rope. The over ends with a boundary too via Shakib’s outside edge but it was wide and deserved hands being thrown at it. 11 off leaving 106 in 42 balls.
12th over: Bangladesh 80-2 (Shanto 30, Shakib 1). Kuldeep wasn’t in India’s XI for the New York leg of the tournament, when Siraj was a logical fit, but he’s impossible to keep out of a tournament being played in the Windies. What an asset. Bangladesh are trying – jumping across the crease and reversing and all the rest – but it isn’t working.
That was never missing either, Hridoy trying to slog with the spin but missing. Umpire Gough gives it out and the technology confirms it’s hitting all of ‘em.
11th over: Bangladesh 76-2 (Shanto 27, Hridoy 4). Jadeja gallops through his second over. Shanto doesn’t miss out when the spinner misses his length, cutting a four, but we’re at the point where Bangladesh need multiple boundaries every over.
10th over: Bangladesh 67-2 (Shanto 21, Hridoy 1). At the halfway mark, Bangladesh are left with 130 to make in ten overs. It’ll take some very, very special.
He didn’t hit it, which means one thing: three reds. Indeed, the ball tracking has this going into the middle stump, such was the movement Kuldeep generated with his googly; one of the best in the game. India barely celebrate the DRS – they knew.
TANZID GIVEN OUT LBW TO YULDEEP’S GOOGLY! He reviews. Upstairs we go.
9th over: Bangladesh 64-1 (Tanzid 28, Shanto 20). That’s better! SHANTO! Twice Hardik bumped him in the over – one pace on, one pace off – both times he’s hooked it for SIX! Can that be the start of something? Shanto has to keep going for it.
8th over: Bangladesh 50-1 (Tanzid 27, Shanto 7). Kuldeep’s turn – the third frontline spinner; what a superbly balanced attack. Try as Shanto might, he can’t land a blow here, missing a couple of times when targetting midwicket. Just three off… easy.
7th over: Bangladesh 47-1 (Tanzid 26, Shanto 5). With that power play complete, it’s the cue for Ravindra Jadeja to join the attack. Within three balls he has Shanto running at him unsuccessfully, nearly creating a stumping chance. He’s through his overs so quickly, conceding five singles in about 50 seconds. Bangladesh now require the better part of two runs per ball and I’ve no idea how they find anything like that.
6th over: Bangladesh 42-1 (Tanzid 25, Shanto 2). Bad dropped catch! Bumrah wins Tanzid’s outside edge, steered to Pant’s left side… but it bursts through his gloves, unable to take it cleanly. Frustrating as that’ll be for the big quick, he’s only gone for four runs in this over – the power play hasn’t ended with anything like a bang.
5th over: Bangladesh 38-1 (Tanzid 22, Shanto 1). 11 runs and the wicket. The new man is Shanto, a leader with a very high ceiling, but how do you approach this task?
“Hello Adam.” Afternoon, Simon McMahon. “A few weeks from now, James Anderson will no longer be an international cricketer, so there’s hope for you still regarding that call-up. You must qualify to play for England, right? Or maybe Scotland, like a modern-day Rahul Dravid.”
I’m open to any options! Had the great pleasure of touring Gibraltar with MCC earlier in the year and I saw the pride that team took in playing fully-fledged internationals, as they now do in the T20 format of the game. Alas, my Australian-British citizenship rules me out of a meaningful tilt at getting picked for, let’s say, Luxembourg.
The last thing Bangladesh needed was Litton Das to play a shocker of a shot having gotten off to a flyer. With him there’s belief… without? Banged into the pitch, he’s picked out the deep midwicket the delivery after launching a six. But a bit of pace taken off, he checked his shot with a ball pitched outside the off-stump – messy.
4th over: Bangladesh 27-0 (Das 7, Tanzid 20). Axar in the power play; such a great all-round asset. But missing his length early in the spell Tanzid goes back to pull for four. Then a top shot from Litton to finish, jumping around his crease and in front of his stumps before getting into position to sweep a second boundary. Nice start.
3rd over: Bangladesh 16-0 (Das 2, Tanzid 14). A second cut boundary for Tanzid off Arshdeep – he enjoys that width. A genuine edge later in the over, not far away from the cordon, but four more for Bangladesh it will be. Their required rate is already up towards 11, so they need to make the most of the next three overs to have a chance.
2nd over: Bangladesh 7-0 (Das 2, Tanzid 5). Bumrah from the Andy Roberts End. As Harsha Bhogle notes on telly, a great of the modern game bowling from the end of an all-timer. Nice. He’s been magnificent, as always, through this tournament, saving his best for the most challenging moments against Pakistan – what an afternoon that was. He’s all over Das when getting a look at him, beating him twice in as many balls with the second prompting an appeal but Michael Gough turns it down and they don’t use a review on it. Two off. It’s always two off when Bumrah is on.
"They're absolutely fantastic. They've got the cheat code: Jasprit Bumrah!" – @norcrosscricket
🇮🇳 Can India FINALLY break their hoodoo and win another ICC trophy?
They won't get a better chance than this. Surely!#T20WorldCup 🏏 | @westfieldlondon pic.twitter.com/WsLHd578U7
1st over: Bangladesh 5-0 (Das 1, Tanzid 4). I was at Adelaide Oval commentating on Bangladesh’s chase when these teams met at the 2022 T20 World Cup – it was a most unusual night. For instance, I’ve never seen the covers taken off while it was still raining but, well, yes, let’s leave it there. Litton was flying that night until we returned and was run out first ball after the delay when slipping turning for a run – funny that. My wider point is that he’s not scared of taking on India – let’s see how he goes. It’s Tanzid who has a crack first though, lifting a cut shot over point for four.
The players are back. Arshdeep has the ball, up against Litton Das and Tanzid Hassan – they are going to have to get everything right here. PLAY!
That is going to take some getting. Five Indian batters played their role but it was Hardik’s death-overs hitting that got them so close to 200. And that is exactly the innings they needed coming into the business end of the tournament. Right, I’m taking a quick breather; back with you for Bangladesh’s chase in about ten minutes.
20th over: India 196-5 (Hardik 50, Axar 3). Mustafizur to Hardik. And he beats him off the surface… only for an edge to run away for four. Batters’ game. Singles are exchanged at this point, back to where we started with half an over to go – two out to deep cover follows, the strike staying where India wants it. OH NO! He’s overstepped! Three balls to go and a free hit, then. And for the second time in the over, an edge runs away to the third man rope, albeit this time off a low full toss. Can the ‘Fizz get out of this? He has 0/43 with two balls to go; he’s back over the wicket… it’s a wide! Going across Hardik, he misses the tram tracks by a long way. Last ball of the innings with Hardik 46 and he moves to a half-century from his 27th deliver to end the 20 overs in lovely fashion. For the third time off Mustafizur he’s down to the deep third rope, this time squeezed from a full length. A fine finish for India, giving them the fifth-highest score in this comp and this highest in T20is at the Viv Richards Stadium.
19th over: India 178-4 (Hardik 35, Axar 2). Tanzim for over 19 and fair enough – he’s earned the right with the way he’s bowled in this tournament to have this responsibility. But there’s nothing easy about bowling to Hardik when he looks to have his eye in, as he learns when a slower ball ends up in the crowd at midwicket – his third SIX. But the three dot balls, including one that goes past Axar’s edge to finish, are just as noteworthy as the big shot – eight off is a win for Bangladesh.
18th over: India 170-4 (Hardik 28, Axar 1). Shot! Rishad lands within a few inches of the block hole but Hardik is back in the crease waiting for something full and muscles it with ease over the spinners’ head for SIX more. 15 off the over and the Dube wicket.
