Tigers hunt in packs

Perhaps the most jarring aspect of seeing this Bangladesh bowling attack, be it in T20Is or ODIs, is the sense of inevitability that they will give a good account of themselves. The lynchpin of the pace attack, Mustafizur Rahman, was out through injury but it did not seem to be a big problem as Taskin Ahmed ran in to deliver the first ball of the virtual Asia Cup T20 semifinal against Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

The pitch was devoid of the grass seen in earlier games, grass which would have helped a pace-heavy attack. That slight disadvantage was rendered irrelevant when left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny, the man replacing Mustafizur, beat Sharjeel Khan in the flight and lit up the LED stumps.

Those slightly older spectators who have followed Bangladesh cricket since their ascension to Test status in 2000 would have become accustomed to seeing the team lose even when the conditions and situations were stacked in their favour, so to witness the reverse must be jarring. Old attitudes die hard -- performances like yesterday's have been happening for the past six years with increasing regularity, but it is refreshing nonetheless.

The Bangladesh players got into a heap as soon as Mahmudullah Riyad hit the winning runs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur last night. PHOTOS: STAR

It is no coincidence that some of Bangladesh's best performances have revolved around stellar bowling and fielding performances; the spirit of a team is depicted truest when on the field. In this respect the team may well move to grant Taskin a few more wickets than the one he added to his column when he had Umar Akmal caught at deep point by Shakib Al Hasan. All through this Asia Cup he has provided Bangladesh stirring starts with threatening pace and accuracy, but he had also had a catch each dropped off his bowling in the first three matches. It was no surprise then that he held his palms up in prayer as Shakib settled under the skier. Fewer wickets would have been more richly deserved.

Taskin's value may not be reflected in the wickets column, but a look at the economy rates are more revealing. In the tournament so far, only Shakib among the Tigers' regular bowlers has bowled more stingily than Taskin's six runs per over. His value to the bowler following him cannot be underestimated. Al-Amin Hossain's dismissal of Khurram Manzoor in the second over was preceded by a first over by Taskin that yielded just one. Sunny reaped the reward of a Taskin maiden when Sharjeel Khan, in order to relieve the pressure, missed a hoick.

The Pakistan team management could hardly bear to watch as the hosts snatched a brilliant five-wicket victory and a place in the Asia Cup T20 final against India on March 6. PHOTOS: STAR

Taskin himself benefited from a tight over from Shakib to have Akmal flaying wildly, proving the oft-overlooked importance of bowling in partnerships that this team has become so proficient at. At one stage, Taskin had figures of 3-1-2-1, ruined somewhat by his last over going for 12 runs. That was the only sour point yesterday, the last overs of the five bowlers went for a combined total of 60 runs as Pakistan scored 75 in the last seven overs. That should not be cause for alarm ahead of the final however; this Bangladesh bowling unit has a propensity for improvement that is matched by their bowling depth.