BANGLADESH – THE GIANT KILLER

Bangladesh has made it as a habit of upsetting bigger teams frequently. They are often proving that they are no more minnows. Only in my previous post I had complained that their presence along with Ireland is making this tournament predictable and boring. But they have proved me wrong by upsetting South Africa. This world cup has suddenly become alive by this result. West Indies and England will certainly nourish hopes of entering semi-finals.

I must make special mention about the talent of Mohammad Ashraful here. In both their upset wins against Australia and South Africa he was the lead player and man of the match. Once Muralidharan shared his man of the match with him when he scored a century against Srilanka in a test match even though that was in a losing cause. He is often inconsistent but scores when it matters the most. He is indeed a match-winner. Sachin can certainly take a cue from him about how to make runs when the team needed the most. Another talent worth mentioning in Bangladesh side is Mashrafe Mortaza. He is an all-rounder and leader of their pace attack. He was instrumental in Bangladesh upsetting India earlier in this tournament.

Dav Whatmore must be given credit for molding this side into a competitive one. Self-belief, hard work and enthusiasm are the hallmark of this Bangladesh side. Well-done Bangladesh! Keep it up!