The Mashrafe effect

Whatever Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has touched since becoming captain has turned to gold and yesterday was a classic example.

He had arrived at the crease in the 18th over when Mohammad Amir was steaming in with his piercing, in-swinging yorkers.

He had just demolished Shakib Al Hasan with one of those perfect deliveries. The scenario was so intense and the delivery was so appropriate that it had compelled Shakib to lose his mind for a split-second and swing wildly at the broken stumps after his fall.

It was precisely after that when a slightly unprepared Bangladesh captain stepped out of the dressing room and went to the crease amidst fear from the stands of another piercing yorker.

Against the odds he managed two boundaries. The first one, off his first ball, was a flat-batted swing down the ground; he was expecting that full delivery. The second one though squared him up. He just had enough time to put bat on ball and edge one over the keeper's head. And those shots will go down in the annals of Bangladesh cricket as landmark blows from the bravehearted cricketer.

"At that point in time the ball was reversing a bit. So our coach asked me if I should take a chance if Shakib gets out before the last ball of that over. After a ball, Shakib got out and I decided to take the chance," Mashrafe narrated while recalling the minutes before that crucial moment.

"The first ball I got was in my slot. The second one… well the ball just hit my bat and went for a four. Honestly I was a bit lucky," he smiled.

"The best thing is that after Shakib's wicket, I arrived at the crease with no pressure on me. I never thought about getting out. Regarding Shakib's shot [an attempted scoop], I would say that it was fine. He plays that shot well in training. He took a calculated risk," he added.