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Bangladesh have progressed beyond the group stage of the ICC World Cup just twice since making their debut in 1999, and are yet to go as far as the semi-finals.
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The Tigers, therefore, have a point to prove in the 13th edition of cricket’s showpiece event in India, that they aren’t quite the whipping boys that they used to be at one point, and can challenge the best of teams in the sport in this day and age. And no better way to prove that point than with a semi-final finish at the very least.
The Shakib Al-Hasan-led side did start off on the right note in their quest to go further than they have ever before with a commanding six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Saturday’s double-header — the first of the ongoing tournament.
Bangladesh and Afghanistan have had quite an interesting bilateral rivalry in recent years that has been a lot more intense following the rapid rise of the Afghans, especially in the shortest format of the game. The Tigers, however, have had the wood over the Atalans in ICC events, having defeated them in all of their encounters in the ODI and T20 World Cups to date.
In what is arguably the most picturesque cricketing venue in the world alongside Cape Town’s Newlands, Bangladesh extended that undefeated run in ICC events against the Afghans with a clinical all-round display, a performance that will have ticked a lot of boxes for them.
Spinners halt Gurbaz
Afghanistan though, were well on their way to posting a competitive target on the board the way they were motoring along at one point. Afghan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are fairly seasoned at the highest level, with the former having succeeded against some of the best bowlers in the business in the IPL.
After Bangladesh skipper Shakib won the toss and opted to field, it was Gurbaz who powered the Afghans to a positive start, stitching a 47-run opening stand with Zadran. Afghanistan soon were 83/1 at the 15th over with plenty of batting to come, and would have been fancying a competitive score in excess of 250 when superb spells from Shakib as well as from Mehidy Hasan Miraz changed the complexion of the match.
Shakib, who had broken the opening partnership by getting rid of Zadran, induced a thick leading edge off Rahmat Shah that resulted in a sitter for Litton Das at mid-off and snapped another partnership that was starting to worry the Bangladeshis. His two wickets marked the beginning of a Bangladeshi fightback after a poor start.
Mehidy, meanwhile, started his spell on a scratchy note by conceding five wides down the leg side in his second delivery and starting off with a nine-run over. The off-spinner however, would make a remarkable recovery after that start, conceding just five runs in his next five overs including two maidens as well as the wicket of Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, who ended up holing out to long on while attempting to break the shackles.
Gurbaz would perish the very next over, off a slower delivery from Mustafizur Rahman with Tanzid Hasan doing well to pull off an excellent running catch from deep cover. That proved to be the turning point, with Bangladesh getting rid of the set batter who could have caused plenty of damage in the backend of the innings provided he found the slightest bit of support from the other end.
“I was a bit cautious, the captain told me to bowl in the right areas. He told me to be consistent and to focus on my own performance so credit to the captain. I took it ball by ball and didn’t look at the runs. Wicket was turning a bit, I just tried to play straight,” Mehidy would reveal in the post-match presentation after accepting the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
Mehidy was taken off in the following over, and his figures at the end of a seven-over spell read 1/19 including two maidens. Though Shakib had more wickets at that point, it was Mehidy’s disciplined approach and ability to dry up the runs after the drinks interval that proved the game-changer.
2019 WC Bangladesh’s first man of the match: Shakib Al Hasan
2023 WC Bangladesh’s first man of the match: Mehidy Hasan
Living up to the expectations. ✨ #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/jjfiMlHhn7
— Saif Ahmed 🇧🇩 (@saifahmed75) October 7, 2023
He would later get rid of Rashid Khan, the star all-rounder who is known for his ability to turn the game on its head with the bat as well, along with Mujeeb ur Rahman to complete a three-wicket haul as Afghanistan were bowled out for 156.
Mehidy’s all-round show
That, however, wasn’t all from Mehidy on the day; after his exploits with the ball, he was sent up the order at one-down from his usual position of No 8 and helped steer the side from the doldrums after the Afghans managed to reduce the Tigers to 27/2, raising hopes of them pulling off an unlikely victory.
Though his primary utility to Shakib, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and all the other captains he’s played under remains his off-spin, what has set Mehidy apart from the others and established him as a worthy successor to Shakib in the Bangladeshi side is his ability with the bat that has grown by leaps and bounds over the years.
His batting, after all, proved to be the difference in Bangladesh’s 2-1 ODI series win over India last December, especially in the 2nd ODI where his unbeaten 100 off 83 balls helped the hosts post a total of 271/7 from 69/6 and later clinch the series with a game to spare.
On Saturday, Mehidy did have a couple of reprieves early on in his innings, on 16 and 23 respectively. The chase would have been a lot trickier for the Bangladeshis despite the modest target had either Najeebullah or Mujeeb held on to the chances.
What matters in cricket, and in life to a greater extent, though is what you make of such opportunities. And in Mehidy’s case, he certainly did make it count. The all-rounder didn’t play a very flashy knock thereafter but ensured he got the boundary at regular intervals to ensure the pressure levels remainder under check, and that some of Afghanistan’s star performers such as Rashid couldn’t really start dictating terms at any given point.
Mehidy was finally dismissed shortly after bringing up his third ODI half-century, with Rahmat pulling off a one-handed stunner at mid-off after an aerial drive off Naveen-ul-Haq’s bowling. Mehidy, however, had done his job by then and laid the foundation for a comfortable chase.
Bangladesh needed just 33 more to win in 22 overs with eight wickets in hand, and the in-form Najmul Hossain Shanto — who brought up a fourth consecutive fifty-plus ODI score, ensured his team got over the line in a canter.
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