Shakib's perfect approach surprises Clarke
Michael Clarke swung from his hips at a Mashrafe Bin Mortaza half-tracker in the final over of the Australian innings to reach his century. It was not his first as a captain but certainly his first after getting the job full-time, and his cry of delight and punching of the air said as much about its significance.
Mashrafe, who was evidently making a reluctant return in Bangladesh colours, had lost his shape by then, leaking 25 runs in his final two-over spell. But Shakib decided on him despite the paceman looking completely out of his depth.
Australia made 270-7 and on a dead Mirpur track, the Tigers batsmen were always climbing up the wrong escalator, and their vigilance smelled more like trepidation.
"When we lost wickets early, our target was to play all the overs. When I was batting with Tamim (Iqbal), we wanted to bat till the 40th over and then take it from there. But that didn't happen," said Shakib in what turned out to be a heated post-match press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.
Shakib went on to blame bowling in the slog overs and overall fielding but it was quite simple: recent history had tied them down.
"It wasn't just those two (58 and 78 all out in the World Cup) but because we didn't perform with the bat in the World Cup overall. I think everyone was conscious of that.
"This is the right approach but I think if we could have scored 15, 20 or 25 more runs, it would have been perfect," he said.
His use of the word "perfect" sounded misplaced as the Bangladesh chase never took off. One would think that losing three quick wickets would peg back the batsmen but present at the crease in that crucial stage were Bangladesh's best. Shakib and Tamim's fourth wicket stand of 67 runs came at 3.90 runs an over and regardless of Shakib's insistence on pointing out the nature of the Mirpur wicket (and how slow it got later in the day), those two batting nightmares still had its effects on the Tigers who only seemed to score freely when the opposition had wrapped up the game.
It was actually Clarke who first expressed his bewilderment at Bangladesh's approach with the bat. "I was very surprised that they didn't have more of a go at the end there. They might have played a few more shots; they had a few more wickets in hand."
"To me I'd rather have everybody get out than have five wickets and fall 70 runs short so that surprised me more than anything else. You have to ask the Bangladesh captain what they were thinking," said Clarke.
The first one-day against the Tigers was shaping to be an even more testing time for Clarke, who recently turned 30, but his manoeuvring of the spinners and squirming out of tight spots (90 for three, 138 for four) showed how responsibility can enhance performance. Though Australian captains are not judged by winning three-match one-day tours, if one were to draw comparisons with the home captain (and some of us are likely to fall into that trap given Shakib Al Hasan's regular tiff with the media), it was a serene ride for Clarke.
Of course it was all his doing. He batted beautifully throughout his 111-ball 101, hammering six boundaries and tonking two sixes in the process but his method of pacing the innings was eye-catching.
"Anytime you make a hundred it is very nice. More important for me was the way we played today. As I said yesterday (Friday), our goal is to win every game we play here, improve in all areas," said Clarke.
After reaching the ton, Clarke was expressive enough to bring back some memories of his debut century in Bangalore where he famously donned the baggy green as he approached the three-figure mark. When asked, he shrugged aside any cause to remember that day. "Bangalore was a long time ago. Like I say, it is always nice to make a hundred, anywhere in the world, if you make a century and playing well and for your country, it is very special. But it is hard to compare," he said.
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