Tigers at Champions Trophy 2017
Bangladesh cricket team makes history
Silas Hossain
June 9, Cardiff, Wales. Mosaddek Hossain edged a ball towards the third man, then started celebrating after completing the run, with the batsman on the other end Mahmudullah also celebrating ecstatically. And why wouldnt they? They had just beaten a top team like New Zealand after being cornered at 33 for 4. It was time for celebration, no one could deny the inspiring performance this Bangladesh team put up. Their journey at the Champions Trophy 2017 didnt end there, as Bangladesh made history by reaching the semifinal of an ICC event for the very first time.
The road to semis
Vs England: Bangladesh faced England on June 1 at the opening match of the tournament. Bangladesh made a solid opening start before Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim made a partnership of 166 that steered us towards 305, our first 300 plus score against England. Tamim scored 128, a first century by a Bangladeshi batman in an ICC Champions Trophy. Mushfiqur supported Tamim with a sublime 79. The batsmen did their job, but unfortunately, the bowlers came short against the aggressive England batting line-up. England chased down the score, losing just two wickets. Alex Hales scored an aggressive 95, while man of the match Joe Root was not out at 133. Bangladesh could have had a better match if the bowling clicked, but nonetheless, thanks to the batsmen, it was a good start to the tournament.
Vs Australia: Bangladesh faced Australia on June 5 in a rain soaked affair. Batting first, Tamim Iqbal was at the crease from one end and scored a brilliant 95 before getting out. No other batsman could really give him the support we needed and as a result, Bangladesh got all out for 184 in 44.3 overs. There were constant stops due to rain, Bangladesh would get one point if the match got postponed before Australia batted 20 overs. Here, we saw the clever mindset of our captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. He used all of our fast bowlers with long run ups, they took their time bowling and by the time Australia were on their 16th over, the match was abandoned due to rain. Both Bangladesh and Australia got one point each. It was a lucky break for Bangladesh, one which paved the way for progression to the next stage.
Vs New Zealand: Bangladesh had to win this match to have a chance of going through to the semis, provided England beat Australia the next day. Batting first, New Zealand had a solid start with both Williamson and Taylor scoring half centuries, they looked on their way to score 300 plus runs, and then a mini collapse happened. Mashrafe brought on part time off spinner Mosaddek, who took 3 middle order wickets in just 3 overs, leaving New Zealand to score 265. In reply, Bangladesh had a horrible start. Tamim was bowled out the 2nd bowl of the innings, Bangladesh were reeling at 33 for 4. Even the most ardent Bangladeshi fans werent hopeful of winning the match. Then the partnership of Shakib al Hasan and Mahmudullah happened, they put on a record 224-run stand at the 5th wicket. They hit the New Zealand bowlers everywhere. Instead of defending, Bangladesh came out attacking, getting the better of the bowlers. Both Shakib and Mahmudullah scored centuries and helped Bangladesh to a historic win. With England beating Australia the next day, Bangladesh ensured their first ever semifinal berth in a top ICC event.
Vs India: The enthusiasm was very high for the semi-final match, recent meetings with India had been very competitive. With that in mind, Bangladesh had a solid start to the innings, with Tamim and Mushfiqur both scoring half centuries. It looked like they were on their way to respective centuries and at least a 300 plus score for Bangladesh. But for some rash shot selection from the pair when they tried to hit part time bowler Jadav, coupled with Shakib getting out to Jadeja in between, Bangladesh were suddenly struggling 179 for 5. Thanks to some power hitting from Mashrafe, Bangladesh ended up scoring 264. In a batting pitch, the score was not enough to defend as India ended their chase by losing just one wicket.
The pressure of playing in a semifinal of a global tournament for the very first time likely made Bangladeshi players more nervous than usual. But theres no denying the impact the Tigers had in the Champions Trophy 2017, and with the current blend of hungry young players and experienced senior ones, this team is primed for more success in the future.
