Match put on hold, to continue today

By Vijay Lokapally

DHAKA, MAY 30. Prepare for another change in the schedule of the Asia Cup, a tournament condemned to be at the mercy of the rain gods from the time the dates were announced.

The heavy downpour which halted the India-Bangladesh match here on Tuesday was a cruel reminder of the insensitive scheduling of the tournament by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

Thunders in the distance gave the organisers the shivers as the dark horizon cast a gloomy cover on the Bangabandhu National Stadium, which once again resembled a fish bowl. Small pools of water dotted the ground as the huge covers protected the playing surface from being affected.

It was hard on the spectators, filling just a quarter of the stadium, even as Bangladesh, electing to bat, made a better presentation of its cricket than it did on Monday.

The openers may have fallen cheaply but the pair of Habibul Bashar and Aminul Islam had its share of glorious moments against an average Indian attack.

The Indians did not look electric or energetic on the field, probably reserving their best for the other games. They could even afford to drop Ajay Jadeja and blood Hemang Badani, the gifted Tamil Nadu cricketer rated high by Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar. It was Tendulkar's description of Badani's century against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semifinals that convinced Kapil to place his faith in the left-handed batsman.

In his debut match, Badani could only bowl an over as rain pelted the venue to raise doubts again on the timing of the tournament.

In the 25.2 overs of play possible, Bashar and Islam credited themselves with some sensible batting. Both thrived from positive play and the spectators had a lot to cheer this afternoon.

A few stunning shots in the front showed the batsmen did not care for the reputation of the bowlers with Bashar impressing with a sweetly-timed straight six.

The aggression in the Bangladesh approach was understandable since Bashar and Islam are known to be aggressive batsmen. Bashar in particular loves to take on the bowlers and Islam made no effort to curtail his partner. The batsmen were starting to peak at the time the match was halted.

Saba Karim injured

The Indian camp was jolted by an eye injury to wicketkeeper Saba Karim who was a trifle late in avoiding the bounce in the ball by Anil Kumble. The mantle of wicketkeeping fell on Rahul Dravid.

Saba Karim's injury was a major cause of concern for the team, what with the wicketkeeper suspected of suffering from internal bleeding. He will be flown out to India accompanied by manager S. Chakravarty tomorrow. A decision on a replacement for him will be taken by Wednesday. The Bangabandhu National Stadium presented a sad picture with the water-logged outfield a grave reminder of the early monsoon in this part. Not good news at all for the organisers of this rain-hit Asia Cup.

The match was called off at the Bangladesh score of 98 for two and would be resumed from the same position on Wednesday, according to the playing conditions of the tournament.

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