World Cup 2019: 5 key moments that helped Bangladesh win against South Africa
There was once a time when Bangladesh were just a mere punching bag for the rest of the teams in the cricketing fraternity. Playing against the Tigers in the World Cup basically meant free points for the opposition.
However, things have changed now as Mashrafe’s men are among the dark horses in this year’s World Cup. Indeed, with a win in their opening encounter against the mighty Proteas, Bangladesh have made the perfect statement for themselves.
They couldn’t have asked for a better start to the tournament as they have now won the first of their 9 matches. Realistically, not many gave Bangladesh a chance against South Africa.
And why would they?
After all, the Tigers were massacred by the Proteas in South Africa in 2017. However, in different conditions, Bangladesh showed that they have the ability to go toe-to-toe against the South Africans.
It was not as easy a victory as it looked, however, and here are the 5 key moments that led to the Tigers' victory…
#1 Soumya Sarkar’s fiery start
A year ago, it wouldn’t have been shocking to hear claims of the southpaw not making it to the World Cup squad this year. He was going through a very rough patch and there were calls for him to be dropped from the team.
However, the management showed immense faith in him and he is now repaying them with his performances. Prior to the World Cup and also Bangladesh's tour of Ireland, Soumya Sarkar smashed a double hundred in a List A game that ensured his team lifted the Dhaka Premier League title.
After that, he scored three consecutive half-centuries to help Bangladesh lift their maiden multi-team tournament trophy.
And today against South Africa, Sarkar was exceptional with his hitting. While Tamim Iqbal was struggling to convert the dots into runs, Sarkar played a fluent innings of 42 runs from just 30 balls, which ensured that Bangladesh started the match with a run-rate of over 6.
His innings set the platform for…
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