Bangladesh are taking huge steps in cricket with their performances against the bigger teams over the past couple of years. It is very heartening to watch the Asian (former) minnows make their mark in international cricket.
We have seen Bangladesh’s ODI series victories over India and South Africa in 2015, which proved how dangerous a side they are on home soil. The way they tackled England in the famous Test series is a proof that they have the caliber to give any opposition stiff competition in the longer format of the game as well. Their recent win against Sri Lanka was a special one in its own right, more or less announcing the new Bangladesh team in the international arena.
Here are five of the most famous victories Bangladesh has achieved so far in their cricket history.
1. Bangladesh vs Pakistan, 1999 World Cup
Bangladesh’s 62-run victory over Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest victory in the history of Bangladesh cricket, in the sense that the victory propelled their growth to a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Bangladesh were considered rank outsiders before heading into their first-ever World Cup tournament and failed to offer any resistance to the Test playing nations. But they did manage to beat fellow minnows Scotland in the group stages.
Heading into the final match against Pakistan, Bangladesh already knew that they were not going to make it through to the Super Six stage of the tournament. A huge crowd turned out at Northampton to watch the battle between the Asian nations. Batting first, Bangladesh only managed 223 in their 50 overs and all signs pointed to a Pakistan victory as was highly expected ahead of the contest.
However, 13 overs into the chase, Pakistan lost half of their side with only 42 runs on the board as new-ball bowler Khaled Mahmud did much of the damage, picking up three wickets. The other bowlers played their part and, despite some resistance from the lower order, Pakistan were bundled out for 161 runs, giving Bangladesh an emphatic 62-run victory. This helped them earn Test status in 2000.
2. Bangladesh vs Australia, Natwest series 2005
The significance of Bangladesh’s victory over Australia in the 2005 Natwest Series can be understood by the fact that more than 10 years down the line, the five-wicket triumph remains the Asian side’s only win against Australia in international cricket.
Bangladesh started their chase of 250 slowly and struggled initially. Mohammad Ashraful became, at the time, only the second Bangladesh cricketer to score an ODI century. His 4th wicket partnership with skipper Habibul Bashar for 130 runs in 23 overs saved Bangladesh. Though the pair couldn’t hang on till the end, a timely cameo by Aftab Ahmed, who remained unbeaten on 21 from 13 balls, helped them chase down the target with four balls to spare.
3. Bangladesh vs India, 2007 World Cup
The 2007 World Cup was one of India’s most painful memories in the history of cricket, but for Bangladesh, it sort of helped them re-establish themselves as a major cricket-playing nation following a number of disappointing results. Expectations were sky high from team India in this particular tournament as they were one of the finalists of the 2003 World Cup but what took place is now history.
Ganguly was the top scorer in the Indian innings with 66 while Yuvraj Singh provided the only other notable contribution, making 47 runs as India were bundled out for a small total of 191 runs. Despite the best efforts of the Indian bowlers, half centuries by Tamim Iqbal, Shakib-al-Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, who remained unbeaten with a patient 56 off 107 balls, guided Bangladesh home with nine balls to spare and five wickets in hand.
The win saw Bangladesh progress to the Super Eight stages while India exited the tournament following another group stage loss to Sri Lanka.
4. Bangladesh vs England, 2015 World Cup
Bangladesh were making progress with every passing World Cup campaign. The 2007 World Cup success was followed by the 2011 World Cup, where they won three matches in the group stage, including one against England, and only missed out on progressing to the quarter-finals based on net run-rate behind West Indies.
Batting first, Bangladesh scored 275 runs in their 50 overs with Mahmudullah scoring Bangladesh’s first ever World Cup hundred and Mushfiqur Rahim scoring 89 runs off 77 balls. England started off well, but three wickets with the addition of just 11 runs on the board saw them being reduced to 132/5 in the 30th over.
Jos Buttler’s quick-fire half-century brought England back into the contest, but a spirited bowling performance by Rubel Hossain meant England fell short by 15 runs.
5. Bangladesh vs New Zealand, 2017 Champions Trophy
Bangladesh could not contain their happiness as they had chased down 266 runs after being 33 for 4 to knock New Zealand out of the Champions Trophy 2017. After restricting New Zealand to 265/8, Bangladesh had a horrid start as they lost first four wickets for 33 runs but a record breaking 224-run stand between Shakib-al-Hasan and Mahmudullah ensured they remained on track.
They eventually won the contest by 5 wickets with 14 balls to spare. Both Shakib and Mahmudullah scored centuries, helping their team to win and move ahead to the semi-finals. This is Bangladesh’s first appearance in the tournament after 11 years and they didn’t disappoint fans who came there to support them.
After watching Bangladesh’s recent performances, the Tigers are roaring loud and one cannot rule out yet another upset in the semi-finals. The Bangla tigers are also giving a strong message to the cricket fraternity that they can no longer be considered the underdogs, as their performances are matching most of the heavyweights.
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