When the dust settles on yesterday's 79-run loss in the tri-series final in Mirpur, the impression that will remain is Bangladesh's abject batting failure in chase of a modest total. However, for the first half of the game Bangladesh's bowlers put on a fine performance to bundle Sri Lanka out for 221 and the performances of Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain were two rare bright spots for the hosts.
There were concerns over the Tigers fast bowling department after the dismal performance from the seamers during the South Africa series last year and the duo's performances will allay those concerns a bit. The first of Mustafizur's two wickets took him to 50 ODI wickets in his 27th match, the fastest by a Bangladesh bowler. Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis holds the record for the fastest to 50 wickets in just 19 ODIs.
The bowler -- playing his comeback series after being laid low by an ankle injury in South Africa -- achieved the mark when he bowled his trademark slower cutter to completely bamboozle Upul Tharanga, who went for the pull too early to a length delivery and found his stumps disturbed. Mustafizur picked up another wicket to end with figures of two for 29 from 10 overs.
Another example of the Tigers improved fast bowling department in the series was Rubel, given the role of a third seamer and challenged to bowl against set batsman. The right-arm pacer also delivered and was the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh in the series with nine scalps alongside Shakib Al Hasan.
Introduced into the attack in the 28th over yesterday, it was not only about his pace and well directed yorkers in the death overs as Rubel also changed his pace and rolled his fingers over the ball pretty well.
Rubel's yorker to uproot the Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal was a treat to watch as he ended up picking four for 46 from his 10 overs to restrict Sri Lanka to a modest total of 221.
