KARACHI: Bangladesh’s track record in World Cup is far from flattering, having won only 11 out of 32 matches and lost as many as 20 of them. But one of their victories was just as memorable and it came against South Africa in the 2007 competition.

Mohammad Ashraful led Bangladesh’s impressive batting effort of 251-8 after Graeme Smith chose to field first at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The former captain contributed a stroke-filled 87 from 83 deliveries before becoming seamer Andre Nel’s fifth wicket.

South Africa struggled on the slow pitch from the onset of their chase as the spin-laden Bangladesh bowling first reducing them to 87-6 in the 27th over with unheralded left-arm military medium pace of accounting for the prized scalps of Smith and the redoubtable Jacques Kallis.

Herschelle Gibbs added some respectability to the final total of 184. Batting at No.7, the right-hander finished unbeaten with 56 while his partners succumbed timidly to the left-arm spin trio of Abdul Razzak (three wickets), Shakib Al Hasan (2) and the miserly Mohammad Rafique (1-22 in 10 overs).

However, that famous result was in stark contrast to the huge South Africa victories in 2003 and 2011 when Bangladesh faced the Proteas in their own backyard in Dhaka. Led by Makhaya Ntini (4-24), the home side’s pace battery shot out Bangladeshis for 108 in 35.1 overs before Gibbs and Gary Kirsten hastened South Africa to a 10-wicket win in exactly a dozen overs.

The drubbing by 206 runs in 2011 was even more painful for the competition’s co-hosts. Solid contributions from the top order pushed South Africa to 284-8. Bangladesh were rattled by the pace-cum-spin combination of Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Robin Peterson, with the duo taking seven wickets between them, as they crumbled to a shocking 78 all out in just 28 overs.

Barring skipper Shakib, who was seventh man dismissed for 30, no one else managed to reach double figures of what was nothing but meek surrender in front of huge crowds at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

Head-to-head summary

Feb 22, 2003 — Bloemfontein, South Africa won by 10 wickets

April 7, 2007 — Providence, Bangladesh won by 67 runs

March 19, 2011 — Dhaka, South Africa won by 206 runs.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2019