Bermuda 94-9

Bangladesh 96-3

Bermuda’s mission had always been to leave this World Cup with their heads held high.

And despite another lopsided defeat, which broke the hearts of millions of Indian fans and earned Bangladesh a surprise berth in the tournament’s Super Eight, the Island players were allowed to do just that yesterday as they left the Queen’s Park Oval for the last time.

If the competition draw, which threw Bermuda into the so-called Group of Death against three Test nations wasn’t bad enough, then yesterday’s fickle Caribbean weather made the task even more difficult.

Indeed on a day when rain forced players off the pitch no less than four times, all during the Bermuda innings, and reduced a must-win game for Bangladesh to 21 overs per side, it was clear that whoever won the toss would hold an enormous advantage.

After Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar called correctly and asked Bermuda to bat in treacherous conditions, the unlikely upset that Indian supporters had prayed for, and which could have salvaged their team’s World Cup campaign, went the same way as the excess water mopped off the outfield — down the drain.

Under hugely challenging, wet and overcast conditions, Bermuda’s job became more exhausting with every rain interruption.

In contrast, Bangladesh got to take to the crease after the skies had finally cleared and despite some early jitters, brought on by a terrific spell of swing bowling from Saleem Mukuddem who returned brilliant figures of three for 19 off five overs, their place in the next stage of the tournament was never seriously threatened.

Having lost early wickets, Bermuda had to juggle their batting line-up almost every time the covers came off as the umpires were continually forced to reduce the number of overs.

After a late start, it was initially announced the match would be played with 42 overs per side. That was changed to 35 overs, then 30 overs and finally at 3.45 in the afternoon after a one and a quarter hour delay with four bats already back in the pavilion and the total on 45 with 15.1 overs expired, officials informed Bermuda they would have just 21 overs to complete their total.

Among even the neutral observers it was seen as a ludicrous and totally unfair decision.

While yesterday’s game was the last of all the World Cup group matches before the start of the Super Eight, some wondered out loud that had the same weather conditions been encountered by big guns South Africa and Australia on Saturday whether the contest wouldn’t have been automatically held over until today’s reserve day.

Bermuda instead were left to struggle from the very first over.

When opener Stephen Outerbridge (0), retained at the expense of veteran Clay Smith, hooked pace bowler Marhrafee Mortaza down the throat of Mohammad Rafique at fine leg, it was a case of deja vu.

Two for one after just six balls.

The first of a succession of delays was to follow, the players taken off for 35 minutes after just three overs with the total on six.

On resumption, Delyone Borden (2) offered a simple catch to Bashar at mid-off off Mortaza and when David Hemp, whose defiant unbeaten 76 had provided the highlight of last week’s defeat to India, was dismissed for a duck, caught by Aftab Ahmed off Syed Rasel as he slashed at a ball wide of the off stump, Bermuda were wobbling badly at 11 for three.

Another 45-minute delay gave Bermuda’s remaining bats chance to revise their strategy but it soon became clear their best chance of survival would hinge on umpires calling off play for the day and rescheduling. That was an option, however, they refused to contemplate, forcing Bermuda to bat through drizzle and even heavy showers.

Realising quick runs were the only way his side could dig themselves out of the early hole, skipper Irving Romaine (11) smashed successive boundaries off Abdur Razzak. But on the last ball of that same 11th over he was trapped plum lbw with the score still on only 35.

Opener OJ Pitcher (22) and Dean Minors (23) combined for the best partnership of the innings, worth just 17, but when they returned after yet another interruption to learn that the innings had been reduced to 21 overs, both were forced into shots neither would normally play.

Minors enjoyed one let-off when a big heave down the ground was spilled by Ashfarul, but two balls later in the 16th over Pitcher was held by Bashar off Saqibul Hassan.

That signalled the introduction of Lionel Cann, on whose hefty hitting Bermuda would now depend if they were to post any kind of defendable total. And the master blaster quickly had Island fans on their feet, launching Aftab Ahmed over the ropes for a huge six and following up with successive fours.

However, his cameo innings of 16 lasted just six balls before he waltzed down the pitch eyeing another slog, missed completely and was bowled by Hassan.

Janeiro Tucker added one last boundary in his quickfire knock of nine before being caught on the boundary by Tamim off Raffique but neither Kevin Hurdle (0), bowled on the last ball of the 21st over by Razzak, nor Mukuddem (not out 0) could further the cause as Bermuda failed by six runs to reach the century mark.

With the weather finally beginning to clear it was never going to be enough.

But at least Mukuddem made sure the Bangladeshis would have to work for their win with an inspired spell of seam bowling that proved as penetrative as anything seen at the Oval in the last week.

And Kevin Hurdle, firing down deliveries of up to 85 mph — far quicker than at any time previously in this tournament — posed problems of his own although a number of wides and no balls helped ease the Bangladeshis towards their target. In all, Bermuda conceded 21 extras.

Saqibul Hassan (26 not out) and Mohammad Ashraful (29 not out) were ultimately to guide their side to an emphatic win.

Yet Mukuddem, repeatedly swinging the ball away from the bat, made things more difficult for the Asians than they expected.

From his first ball, Hurdle took a magnificent running catch on the boundary to dismiss Tamim Iqbal Khan for one with the total on six. Mukuddem then trapped Aftab Ahmed lbw for seven and had Shahriar Nafees caught by Tucker at second slip, reducing the Bangladeshis to 37 for three.

But there were to be no more scares, Dav Whatmore’s team silencing the critics by taking their rightful place in the World Cup’s last eight.