Twitter Reactions: Superman Shakib drowns out Afghanistan at the Rose Bowl
With the victory, Mashrafe Mortaza's men reclaimed their fifth spot and are now breathing down England's neck in the points table.
Bangladesh garnered a much needed victory in the World Cup, beating Afghanistan by 62 runs at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Shakib Al Hasan stepped up for the Tigers yet again with a stupendous all-round performance and kept his team’s hopes of a semis berth alive. With the victory, Mashrafe Mortaza’s men reclaimed their fifth spot and are now breathing down England’s neck in the points table.
Mushfiqur stands out for the Tigers
On a slow turner, the Afghans decided to field first and attack the Tigers’ batsmen. The move worked as Mujeeb Ur Rahman got rid of Liton Das for 16. Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal steadied the ship with a 59-run stand. Mohammad Nabi induced a false shot off Tamim to dismiss him for a 36. Mushfiqur Rahim joined Shakib in the middle, who became the first Bangladesh batsman with 1,000 World Cup runs.
Shakib brought up yet another half-century and became Mujeeb’s second victim. In his next over, Mujeeb pinned Soumya Sarkar, who batted in the middle for the first time in the tournament. At the other end, Mushfiqur backed up his century with another gutsy knock of 83 off 87. Mahmudullah chipped in with 27, but it was Mosaddek Hossain’s 24-ball 35 that lifted the Tigers to 262 in 50 overs.
Shakib destroys Afghanistan
Bangladesh, unlike their opponent, bowled their pacers, in the first nine overs. But the tactic backfired as Gulbadin Naib and Rahmat Shah didn’t throw wickets. Shakib Al Hasan was introduced in the 10th over and from thereon, the scoring rate went down. Rahmat Shah (24) played a loose shot off Shakib to give the Tigers their first wicket. Hashmatullah Shahidi perished to Mosaddek for a painstaking 11.
Gulbadin consumed 75 balls for his 47, but Shakib got his number. After two balls, Shakib sent back Nabi for a duck to dent the Afghans hopes of a victory. Samiullah Shenwari (49) and Najibullah Zadran (23) tried to bring their team back and put on 56 runs. Unfortunately, Shakib removed him and became the first Bangladesh bowler with a fifer in the World Cup. The Afghans eventually ended on 200 in 47 overs.
Here is how Twitter reacted to Bangladesh’s thumping win:
Download Our App