Shakib, Mustafizur, Mushfiqur beat South Africa
The underdogs' roar was heard all around The Oval as Bangladesh outplayed South Africa in their World Cup opener
The underdogs' roar was heard all around The Oval as Bangladesh outplayed South Africa in their World Cup opener
Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: Shashank Kishore
Right then. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. The World Cup has finally woken up to a wonderful battle after three days of one-sided drabs. Expecting much of the same on Monday. Can Pakistan wake up and upset England's apple cart in Nottingham? Hope to have your company then. For the moment, this is Shashank Kishore saying goodbye on behalf of my colleagues Alex Malcolm and P Ranjith. Cheers and thank you.
Update on Lungi Ngidi: "sharp discomfort in left hamstring". Decided not to let him bowl further. Out for a week to ten days. Scans tomorrow." - This is from their team doctor Mohammed Moosajee
Ian Bishop tweets: "Bangladesh are re-confirming what we've known for a few years now. They are a team showing that they are a genuine force in the World game."
Mashrafe Mortaza: We were pleased to bat first, after the toss, yes there was some doubt but we knew this was a used wicket, so batting wouldn't be a bad option. Mushfiqur always plays that kind of innings, Shakib batted so well. Soumya set the tone and we finished off with Mahmudullah and Mosaddek. We knew we had to bowl in the right areas, just keep changing our bowlers around to ensure we pick wickets. Good thing we were able to do well, spinners set the tone. Crowd was behind us, thanks to all the Bangladeshi crowd, hopefully the expats will come back to support us. Back home, those watching on TV, will also expect us to win. Hopefully the New Zealand game will go well too."
Faf du Plessis: Today didn't according to plan. Wasn't ideal with Lungi getting injured, but 330 was out of par. Not a great performance from us. Looking back, no. I wouldn't have bowled first, but the thinking was, the surface was going to have more pace and bounce. If a subcontinent side gets runs on the board, they could squeeze it later. Even with Lungi's injury - he's out death bowler with KG - to go for 54 off the last four was damaging. We came here with a fast bowling attack we wanted to have, not quite sure of Lungi's hamstring injury, it can be a few days or a weeks off. Dale Steyn is bowling in the middle now, hopefully there's some progress. It won't get easier from here, South Africa a proud sporting nation. Skills weren't there, but we'll fight. We're firing at 50-60 percent."
Mahneel: "Mahmudullahs role down the order is frequently overlooked but he plays a powerful anchor. Rarely does he hit those flashy drives but he allows the batter on the other end to go big while he holds one end. Terrific player for Bangladesh"
Muhammad Ameen: "This is not an upset, certainly not, but it surely is a wake up call for the rest of the teams to not take Bangladesh as a simple opponent. Don't make unsure experiments against them, come up with strong planning and don't blink your eye even for a second."
6.26pm The tigers roar. All of Bangladesh will surely celebrate long and hard into the night. This is a famous win, even bigger than their victory over South Africa at the 2007 World Cup. This is a different side to the one that 'upset' South Africa there. This one is an emphatic win by a much-confident side led by a tactically astute and inspirational captain in Mashrafe Mortaza.
They've shown the value of preparation going into a big tournament. Arrived a month early, played a tri-series which they approached with much seriousness. Planned meticulously, won four games. Shunned experimentation and focused on results. Beat West Indies twice, including in the final to clinch their first-ever multi-nation tournament, and here they are now. On the grandest stage of them all, against a good South African side. Upsetting their apple cart with a much-superior display. Make no mistake, this is a thumping for South Africa.
Soumya Sarkar set the tone with some breath-taking off-side strokeplay. The momentum was sustained by Shakib and Mushfiqur before Mahmudullah gave them the final kick. All said and done, their highest ODI total may have yet not been enough had even one bowler lost his plot. The game was very much alive while Faf and Miller were around, threatening a late heist, only to be flattened by Mustafizur and Shaifuddin. Momentous occasion for Bangladesh. They arrived at the World Cup 20 years ago to England as absolute newbies just happy to play. That isn't the case anymore. This side is ready to conquer the world.
It's time for the post-match presentation
Shakib Al Hasan is the Player of the Match for his allround show. "It will be one of our top wins, we've upset a few sides. This is my fourth World Cup, and this is the tournament where we want to prove something. The start can't get better than this. This is the start we needed, we had the belief as we came in to England. The dressing room will be happy but they know the job has just started. My two years with Worcestershire helped me a lot. Didn't know my partnership with Mushfiqur was a record, we needed to hold the innings together, did it perfectly. Confidence is up, but have to play our best cricket against New Zealand, who always do well at ICC events."
Mustafizur to finish off
South Africa coach looks to lift dispirited players, but faces a challenge to find right balance for India showdown
The Bangladesh allrounder reaped the benefits of putting in the hard yards ahead of the tournament as he helped his team to the perfect start
Mashrafe Mortaza delighted by his side's all-round performance
With just three days to dust themselves off before taking on India in their opening game, captain needs answers - fast
He got to the mark in his 199th match, having already played a part in setting Bangladesh up to make their highest total in 50-over cricket