New Delhi: It was not something new that Bangladesh pulled off against New Zealand, at Cardiff on Friday. It has been more of a habit for the Tigers to carve a miracle at ICC events. And unlucky as you may say, the Kiwis were at the other end when a phenomenal partnership of 224 runs woven by Shakib Al Hasan(114) and Mahmudullah(102) showed them the exit door.
Opting to bat first, New Zealand failed to put forth a stiff target for Bangladesh as they ceased to just 265 runs, losing eight wickets in total. Although not a huge target, the Tigers were on a bit of concern owing to their dismal performance with the bat in their last two outings. And scarier did it sound when they were reduced to 33/4 in just 12 overs.
Staring at the mammoth task ahead, Shakib and Mahmudullah started off things slowly, building on momentum, growing with confidence. With each passing over, Bangladesh looked stronger and stronger as the duo stitched a remarkable fifth-wicket partnership of 224 runs in 209 deliveries to upset the Blackcaps.
The miraculous victory pulled off by the Bangla Tigers drew immense praise from cricketing legends on Twitter. Here are some of the tweets…
Sanjay Manjrekar – Seeing some brilliant match winning partnerships this CT 2017. This one between Shakib & Mahmudullah the latest. #NZvBAN #CT17Shakib & Mahmudullah the latest. #NZvBAN #CT17
Seeing some brilliant match winning partnerships this CT 2017. This one between Shakib & Mahmudullah the latest. #NZvBAN #CT17
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) June 9, 2017
Danny Morrison – #CT2017 #NZvBan absolutely brilliant! The Bangla tigers….Shakib & Mahmudullah to the rescue Congrats fellas #heckofapartnership
#CT2017 #NZvBan absolutely brilliant! The Bangla tigers….Shakib & Mahmudullah to the rescue Congrats fellas #heckofapartnership
— Danny Morrison (@SteelyDan66) June 9, 2017
Mohammad Kaif – Brilliant from Bangladesh. Shakib, Mahmudullah great stuff. Can say 3 upsets in 3 days. Champions Trophy is truly alive now. #NzvBAN
Brilliant from Bangladesh. Shakib,Mahmudullah great stuff. Can say 3 upsets in 3 days. Champions Trophy is truly alive now. #NZvBAN
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 9, 2017
Shahid Afridi – Brillant chase Bangladesh, stunning comeback & partnership between Shakib and Mahmudullah! The #CT17 is truly alive.
Brillant chase Bangladesh, stunning comeback & partnership between Shakib and Mahmudullah! The #CT17 is truly alive.
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) June 9, 2017
Former Bangladeshi cricketer Habibul Bashar too showered praise through his ICC exclusive column, where he mentioned, “This must rank as one of Bangladesh’s finest One-Day International wins ever, on par with our victory, also in Cardiff, against Australia in 2005, and against England at the Adelaide Oval in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. It wasn’t just the fact that Bangladesh defeated New Zealand by five wickets, but the manner and the circumstances under which victory was achieved, that made it truly special.”
Bangladesh will now await an English victory over Australia to assure their chances of heading into the semi-final stage.
Source: Zee News