ODI World Cup 2023: Shakib heaps praise at Mehidy Hasan after winning start, says 'he always wants to perform'

Bangladesh kickstarted their ODI World Cup campaign on a positive note on Saturday (Oct 7) as they got the better of Afghanistan in Dharamsala. The six-wicket win for Bangladesh was the perfect boostfor them with a clinical start to the campaign. After the match, skipper Shakib Al Hasan was delighted with the show as his team now shifts focus to England in their next match.

Shakib delighted with team’s show

“Very happy with the way we played. We believed if we got a wicket, we could come back in. Wasn't easy for a few players, but happy with the way we batted and bowled. We have been practicing here. We need to adapt to these things (tough outfields) if we want to win. We got three, four fast bowlers, they can change any game and I hope they will bowl well in the upcoming games, it's a long tournament. He (Mehidy) has been playing very well. Shanto is another one, they always want to do perform well for the team,” Shakib said in the post-match interview.

What happened in the match?

Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the architect of Bangladesh’s win as he scored 57 runs from 73 deliveries, stitching a 97-run partnership with Najmul Shanto for the third wicket. He was also a handful with the ball having scalped three wickets to showcase his all-round ability. Bangladesh initially restricted Afghanistan to 156 in 37.2 overs where skipper Shakib also notched three wickets. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the top scorer for Afghanistan with 47 runs with only four other players getting into double figures.

Asked to chase 157, Bangladesh did not have the best start as they lost Tanzid Hasan (5) and Litton Das (13) early but Mehidy Hasan and Najmul Shanto (59) laid the foundation for an easy win. The win was Bangladesh’s third on Indian soil, the first since 2006 when they beat Zimbabwe by 101 runs in a triangular series.

Bangladesh will next take on defending champions England on Tuesday (Oct 10) at the same venue in Dharamsala. Bangladesh will look to repeat the heroics of 2015 when they got the better of England in the league stage contest. England will look to bounce back from their opening-day defeat to New Zealand, where they were beaten comprehensively by nine wickets.

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