Few observers would have picked Bangladesh to beat South Africa in their first match of the 2019 World Cup. The number would have been small due to a multitude of reasons — prime among those reasons was that South Africa would have been hurting after the defeat against England, English conditions don’t exactly play to the strengths of the Tigers and Bangladesh’s record against top ODI nations.
Despite a clear drop in standards, South Africa still have an ICC ODI ranking of 3 as compared to the seventh place that Bangladesh occupies on the table. But perhaps the biggest factor was Bangladesh’s overall record in international cricket. It has created a perception of a side that just isn’t cut out for the big league.
TEAM RECORD IN ODIS
Bangladesh — 363 matches, 123 wins, 233 losses, 7 NR.
Winning percentage: 34.55%South Africa — 612 matches, 378 wins, 212 losses, 6 tied, 16 NR.
Winning percentage: 63.92%
Their winning percentage is among the lowest among the Test nations by far. While South Africa — despite the chokers tag — have the best winning percentage… even higher than Australia and this wasn’t a knockout match.
But right from the first ball of the match, it looked like South Africa had no chance. Bangladesh had a plan, they stuck to it with great verve and determination… playing an attractive brand of cricket without letting South Africa’s short-ball attack get into their heads.
On a good batting track, South Africa surprisingly chose to bowl first. Perhaps, they thought they could just bump off the Bangladeshi batsmen but instead, they came up against an inspired Soumya Sarkar [42 off 30]. Yes, he took the risky route but on the day, it kept coming off and before South Africa knew it, the early nerves had dissipated and Bangladesh was already in the thick of battle with no time to think otherwise.
Also Read: Mashrafe Mortaza says result was no surprise
Bangladesh are known to be tough customers at home but ‘away’ success has been hard to find mostly because their batsmen struggle to adapt to overseas conditions. But Sarkar’s early enterprise simply banished whatever fears the batsmen might have held in their minds.
Shakib al-Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, then, stitched together Bangladesh’s highest partnership in a World Cup match. Their 143-run stand was brilliant because it never let the run-rate drop. The runs kept coming at a steady pace, forcing SA into a corner. It was a stand between two experienced campaigners that showed just how Bangladesh has grown and it would have sent a bit of fear around the tournament.
Mahmudullah provided a final flourish to take the Tigers to 330 and then the bowlers, with runs behind them, simply squeezed South Africa out of the match.
Mashrafe Mortaza brought spin into the attack early and South Africa’s openers were just not very comfortable with that line of attack. With an asking rate of over 6, South Africa needed to attack all the bowlers but Bangladesh’s two spinners delivered wonderful spells — Mehidy Hasan gave away just 44 runs and took one wicket while Shakib Al Hasan finished with 1-50.
It strangled the South African chase and they never quite managed to break the shackles as Bangladesh’s crafty attack gave little away — sticking to a stump-to-stump line and using lots of slower balls.
By the end, the result wasn’t in doubt and neither was Bangladesh’s class. This isn’t the Bangladesh of old; this is a team looking to change perceptions. At no point did the win look like a fluke and for the Tigers, it was a huge step in the right direction.
In the year leading up to the tournament, Bangladesh had the fourth best win-loss record of all the teams that are playing in the World Cup. But to do it while no one is watching and to do it at the World Cup are two very different things. The win over SA makes it five ODI wins in a row for the Tigers.
Shakib al Hasan’s words after claiming the player of the match award showcased the mindset of this team.
“I think this is one of our top wins. We have had a few upsets before in the World Cup, but this time we want to prove something and the start can’t get any better. Before arriving here, we had the belief, we needed this start and we need to build on the momentum.”
Bangladesh has now won 15 of their last 23 ODIs and with this start, many might have started looking at them as semi-final contenders. But one swallow doesn’t make a summer and Mortaza’s team will have to find a way to back up their opening performance if they truly want to change perceptions for good.
