1
CHITTAGONG: After experiencing the turmoil of having his home stoned by angry fans following a meek defeat and then the euphoria of an upset victory over England, Shakib Al Hasan will no doubt be hoping his Bangladesh squad can remain in the World Cup quarterfinal calculations with a more routine win over Netherlands.
The stunning two-wicket win over England here Friday night has given the passionate Bangladeshi fans some genuine hope that the tournament co-hosts will advance to the knockout stage.
It took a gutsy 58-run, ninth-wicket partnership from Shafiul Islam and Mahmudullah to usher Bangladesh home in a roller-coaster finish against England. Now, a victory over the winless Netherlands on Monday is a must.
“It means a hell of a lot to the whole country. We all know we're very emotional about cricket,” Shakib said.
“I always have belief in my team, they worked really hard, day in, day out ... it simply paid off. It proved that we can make a comeback from any situation.
“Hopefully we'll kick on from here. No matter what happens we'll fight to the end.”
Bangladesh fans poured into the streets to celebrate when Mahmudullah hit the winning boundary off English paceman Tim Bresnan. The England and Bangladeshi teams were not able to leave the stadium until 2.30 am, four hours after the end of the game, because celebrating fans were blocking roads.
But Shakib is acutely aware that the celebrations could turn sour unless his lineup can produce a meaningful win over a Dutch team that contains mainly part-timers and which lost its opening match to England by six wickets, then was thumped by 215 runs and 231 runs by the West Indies and South Africa before losing by five wickets to India.
One thing Monday's rivals have in common is a famous victory over England _ albeit in different formats. The Dutch upset came in the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup and is now a distant memory.
Bangladesh has beaten England only twice in 15 limited-overs internationals, none containing the drama of the Chittagong match.
After restricting hot favorite England to 225, Bangladesh was coasting at 155 for three in the 31st over before Imrul Kayes was needlessly run out for 60. Then wickets started to tumble and England gained the ascendancy, until Mahmuddullah and Shafiul combined.
“I thought we'd lost the game but they just played outstandingly. I can't describe how well they batted,” Shakib said.
It was Bangladesh's second win in this World Cup. The Bangladesh team opened with a loss to co-host India in Dhaka, then beat Ireland by 27 runs. Any encouragement gained from that was lost in a nine-wicket defeat to the West Indies, when Bangladesh was bowled out for just 58 runs.
Angry fans targeted Shakib's house and also threw stones at the West Indies' team bus as it left the ground, with World Cup local organizers later apologizing and saying the frustrated Bangladeshi mob mistakenly thought it was the home team's vehicle.
With four of the seven teams advancing from each group to the quarterfinals, Bangladesh is in a tricky position in Group B. After the Netherlands, which on paper should deliver them a third win, Shakib's squad will meet South Africa in the last group match. And they don't want to be relying on a win there to guarantee a place in the next stage.
