Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 62 runs yesterday which keeps hopes alive to go semi-final in Cricket World Cup 2019. All-rounder Shakib starred again for Bangladesh by taking 5 wickets from 10 overs and his 51 runs laid the foundations to score 262-7, while Mushfiqur top-scored with 83 from 87 balls.
The professional win of Bangladesh against South Africa and the West Indies earlier in the tournament, are up to fifth place in the 10-team group stage. They sit one point behind England.
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said, “Shakib has been fantastic throughout the tournament, he’s been phenomenal. “We’ll try our level best against Pakistan and India. It’s still wide open. You never know.”
Captain and opener Gulbadin Naib made 47 from 75 balls, and Samiullah Shinwari 49, but Afghanistan never gained control of the required run-rate.
Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Nai said, “Obviously we played two tough games and today we missed something. Our fielding gave away 30-40 runs extra.
“The wicket was very slow and it helped our spinners. It wasn’t too much tougher in the second innings but Shakib bowled really well.”
The 32-year-old Shakib regained his place as the World Cup’s leading scorer, moving to 476 runs with a steady 51 from 69 balls. it moved him above Australia’s David Warner’s 447 runs.
Shakib is only the second player in World Cup history to take five wickets and hit a 50 in the same match after India’s Yuvraj Singh against Ireland in 2011.
Sakib said, “I think the five wickets gave me greater pleasure, it was important. But I had to work really hard with the bat and without Mushfiqur and lots of little innings that really contributed we wouldn’t have got that total.
“It was a team effort with the bat..”There are two more important matches for us, two big teams to play and we have to play at our best to win” he added.
>Juthy Saha
