A fantastic victory!
Sunday, 13 March 2011
It was a fantastic victory! The Bangladesh team humbled mighty England in the cricket World Cup Group B match played in Chittagong on Friday last. Wow! Words cannot express my appreciation for our Tigers.
It was not their first victory over this team. In 2010, Bangladesh defeated England by 5 runs in Bristol in an ODI series.
We were shocked when Bangladesh lost to the West Indies, having scored a paltry score of 58. The match ended very quickly when the West Indies scored the runs in about 12 overs. It was a humiliating defeat.
Against England, the Tigers showed their true grit and earned our respect. Warmest congratulations, Tigers!
If Bangladesh can beat England, which is presently one of the top teams having won the Ashes in Australia only recently, it can beat any other team. The team just needs to believe in its own ability, have a positive approach, strong discipline and a good work ethic.
Even though Imrul Kayes was the highest run scorer at 62 and the man of the match, the contributions of Mahmudullah Riad and Shafiul Islam, who each scored unbeaten 21 and 24 respectfully, were crucial in achieving this glorious victory. Naeem Islam and Abdur Razzak were admirable by taking 2 wickets each.
It was a good decision to choose fielding first. If we would have decided to field first against the West Indies, the outcome of the game could have been different. That is why Prime Minister Sheik Hasina observed, "it was the right choice to take fielding first against India."
If we win the toss, and the team is more experienced than us, then we should consider fielding first in order to chase the score of our opponents. This formula worked out against England. After all, cricket is a game of uncertainty.
We wish the Tigers the very best of luck in their upcoming matches against the Netherlands and South Africa!
The writer is based in Illinois, USA and can be reached at:
e-mail : iftuahmed@sbcglobal.net