BD Tiger's of discipline

Bangladesh took an important step towards regaining their confidence, putting up their first disciplined all-round performance of the year at Fatullah yesterday and thumped giant-killers Ireland by 44 runs in their second warm-up game.
The win was based on a rollicking stand worth 116 runs off just 59 balls between Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan that helped the hosts put up a strong 179. In reply, the visitors were restricted to 135 for 8 by tidy bowling that saw the return of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza from injury.
Fit again bowlers Mashrafe and Shohag Gazi, who opened the attack, kept the runs in check and building pressure on the visitors. Shohag eventually got hard-hitting Paul Stirling out in the third over, while Mashrafe got Ed Joyce caught in the sixth with a slower delivery. The Narail-Express bowled in a good rhythm and seemed to have recovered well from side-strain.
Left-arm spinners Shakib and Abdur Razzak were brought in next. They took one wicket apiece and reduced Ireland to 59 for 4 in ten overs and essentially put them out of the game. Mushfiqur, who kept stumps for the first time since injuring his finger last month, also had his share of fun as he stumped Andrew Poynter off Shakib. A late burst from number seven Stuart Thompson, who hammered a 16-ball 34, could only defy the inevitable for a brief period.
Earlier, a game-changing century-stand between stalwarts Shakib and Mushfiqur for the fourth wicket helped the hosts recover from a slow start.
The players joined hands in the eleventh over, at which point the Tigers were 63 for 3.
After negotiating the Irish bowlers for a brief period, the duo then unleashed a series of drives to dispatch the bowlers to different corners of the park. The aggression began in the 13th over, with Mushfiqur slog-sweeping leg-spinner Andrew McBrine for a six. With all five fielders covering the crucial boundary routes, Mushfiqur came out with a variety of scoop-hits to maintain the aggression. The 15th over in particular, saw his bat twist and turn with precision as he scooped pacer Alex Cusack twice over the keeper's head for fours.
His shots down the ground were equally impressive as he regularly cashed in on hitting zones. The 18th over saw him smack Kevin O'Brien over long-on for a six, and then subsequently reach his 50 off 26 balls with a drive so straight that even the umpire needed to duck.