After losing six matches on the trot, Bangladesh finally tasted victory in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 as they beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in on Mondayat Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. After being put in to bat first, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 279 in 49.3 overs. In reply, Bangladesh chased down the target in 41.1 overs as Najmul Hossain Shanto and captain Shakib Al Hasan starred with the bat.
Such was their trust in the existing batting firepower that Bangladesh opted to pick a fifth pace bowler in their 15-member World Cup squad. The trust came from their recent ODI records. However, before the match against Sri Lanka on Monday, Bangladesh had failed to put up any century partnership in the tournament; the highest being a 97-run stand between Mehidy Hasan Miraz & Najmul Hossain Shanto for the third wicket, in the only game the team won before losing six games on a trot.
On Monday, Bangladesh were 41 for 2 when Shakib al Hasan walked in to join Najmul at the crease, chasing 280 runs to win to keep their 2025 Champions Trophy hopes alive. Shakib and Najmul were expected to be the backbone of Bangladesh`s batting in the World Cup. However, both of them failed to fulfill the expectation until Monday at Arun Jaitley Stadium when they came up with blistering knocks.
Shakib found his share of luck, while batting on seven runs, when he drove a full-length delivery by Angelo Mathews to Charith Asalanka at short extra cover, who dropped the catch. That proved to be a crucial moment in the game as Shakib not only took the game away from Sri Lanka, but also made sure Najmul got his rhythm back by playing his natural game. Sri Lanka tried to go with the short ball tactics against Shakib, a move that had worked effectively in the previous games against the all-rounder. However, Shakib countered the short-ball attack and played effectively square of the wicket on both sides.
After a while, even Najmul played some elegant drives and cuts to make sure the pressure was released. What worked for him was the fact that when boundaries were hard to come by, he managed to rotate the strike. The duo stitched a 179-run stand for the third wicket, which is now the highest for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in ODIs, surpassing 144 runs between Shakib and Tamim Iqbal at Dambulla in 2017.
Bangladesh now only have one match left in cricket’s showpiece event and they will now want end this dismal World Cup on a high with a win or at least with a good performance against the mighty Australians.
