Dubai: Bangladesh’s stunning victory over New Zealand on Friday will be another glorious page in their cricket history. The Sophia Gardens ground in Cardiff will always remain special for Bangladesh as it was here that Bangladesh stunned Australia by five wickets in the 2005 Natwest Series. On Friday, Mohammad Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan carried Bangladesh on their shoulders from a pathetic 33 for 4 as they overhauled New Zealand’s score with 16 balls to spare.
The confidence that skipper Mashrafe Mortaza had in Mahamudullah and Shakib was evident in his post-match statement: “I knew that these two can make the difference, and they did a lot of times. But I never thought that they will go like more than 200 partnership. That was phenomenal.”
Doing the impossible is what has made Bangladesh team earn respect. It was a team which did not qualify for the 1996 World Cup. In fact, it was UAE that beat them in the qualifier. They have come a long way due to the facilities that their cricket board has provided to their budding players and also thanks to the passionate following for the game in their country. The enormous fan following for cricket has played a huge role in highlighting new talents.
Off spinner Mosaddek Hossain who took three vital wickets to put the brakes on New Zealand is just 21 years old. Right arm pacer Taskin Ahmad, who took two wickets with his accurate bowling, is only 22 and to think devastating left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman is just 21. Even Mahamudullah and Shakib are just into their thirties and the team is sure to climb greater heights in the coming years.
Mortaza, after the match, said Bangladesh cricket’s future was in a sunny spot. “I think these sort of performances really helps us to move forward, especially if you look at we have still South Africa fixtures coming up, and also 2019 World Cup is going to happen. I think that will really boost the team,” he said.
It’s a treat to watch underdogs win and the action over the last three day has lit up the Champions Trophy with Pakistan and Sri Lanka pulling off unexpected victories. Bangladesh’s victory will stand out because they are not a team made up of superstars. Their team are nicknamed Tigers and, on Friday, they really did live up to that sobriquet. They deserve more international matches than they get to play now.
Today they are a team who can beat anyone on their day and all that they need is to do it consistently. It is such performances that will lift the belief in them to stun the top teams, to go out and play with more confidence and imbue a fighting spirit in everyone.
