Photo: ICC-Cricket.com
Bangladesh emerged on top in the battle of the minnows as they beat Scotland by 6 wickets at Nelson in New Zealand. Each and every batsman made useful contributions in a tricky run chase to give Bangladesh a real chance of qualifying into the next round.
Bangladesh won the toss and put Scotland into bat. Scotland batted well and posted a total of 318/8 in 50 overs thanks to Kyle Coetzer for a brilliant knock of 156 runs off 134 balls. Other than Coetzer the middle order provided did not make much of an impact although they provided the necessary support so that they set the total of 318/8. Taskin Ahmed was the top of the Bangladeshi bowlers as he picked up 3 wickets. Mashrafe Mortaza picked up one wicket but he turned out to be a tad expensive. Shakib al Hasan opened the bowing with Mortaza and returned with figures of 10-0-46-1.
Photograph: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Tamim Iqbal then set the tone with the bat as Bangladesh looked set for a big win. They lost Soumya Sarkar early but Mahmudullah Ryad gave great company to Tamim as they set the stage for an intriguing finish. After the loss of the wickets of Tamim (95) and Mahmudullah (62), captain Mushfiqur Rahim also played a useful knock of 60 runs that took them closer to the finishing line. And in the end Shakib al Hasan (52*) and Sabbir Rahman (42) saw the Bangladeshis through to a memorable and important win. None of the Scottish bowlers seemed to have the Bangladeshis in trouble except on 4 occasions when they lost their wickets.
It was great win for Bangladesh by 4 wickets. This win meant a lot for them as it will keep them in the fourth position ahead of England in the points table. A win in the either of the two matches left, against England and New Zealand, will see them through to the next round which will surely be a great achievement for Bangladesh cricket.
Tags: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 ICC World Cup 2015 World Cup 2015 World Cup cricket
