5 biggest wins in Bangladesh's cricket history

Srikant
Alastair Cook Bangladesh England Cricket
Alastair Cook and Mushfiqur Rahim pose with the trophy after the series ended 1-1 following Bangladesh’s 108-run victory 
 

Bangladesh are making huge strides in cricket with their performances against the bigger teams over the past couple of years and despite their supposed arrogance, it is heartening to watch how the Asian minnows are making their mark in international cricket.

ODI series victories over India and South Africa in 2015 proved how dangerous a side Bangladesh are on home soil and the way they have tackled England in the ongoing Test series is proof that they have the caliber to provide any opposition a stiff competition in the longer format of the game as well. Having come agonizingly close in the first Test at Chittagong, the home side finished off the job in Dhaka to tie the two-match Test series 1-1.

Let’s take a look at five of the most famous victories Bangladesh has achieved so far in their cricket history.

#1 Bangladesh vs Pakistan, 1999 World Cup

Bangladesh 1999 World Cup Pakistan Cricket
Fans flock to the ground after Bangladesh beat Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup group stage contest

Bangladesh 223/9 in 50 overs beat Pakistan 161 all out by 62 runs

Bangladesh’s 62-run victory over Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest victory in the history of Bangladesh cricket in the sense that the victory propelled their growth as a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Ranked outsiders heading into their first-ever World Cup tournament, Bangladesh failed to offer any resistance to the Test playing nations but did manage to beat fellow minnows Scotland in the group stages.

Heading into the final match against Pakistan, Bangladesh already knew that they were not going to make it through to the Super Six stages of the tournament but a huge crowd turned out at Northampton to watch the battle between the Asian nations. Batting first, Bangladesh only managed 223 in their 50 overs and all signs pointed to a Pakistan victory as was highly expected ahead of the contest.

However, 13 overs into the run chase, half of the Pakistan side were already back in the pavilion with only 42 runs on the board as new-ball bowler Khaled Mahmud did much of the damage picking up three wickets. The other bowlers played their part too and despite some resistance from the lower order, Pakistan were bundled out for 161 runs thus giving Bangladesh an emphatic 62-run victory thus helping them earning the Test status in 2000.

#2 Bangladesh vs Australia, Natwest Series 2005

Mohammad Ashraful Bangladesh Cricket
Ashraful was the architect of Bangladesh’s first and only win over Australia in international cricket in 2005

Australia 249/5 in 50 overs lost to Bangladesh 250/5 (49.2 overs) by five wickets

The significance of Bangladesh’s victory over Australia in the 2005 Natwest Series can be understood by the fact that more than 10 years down the line, the five-wicket victory remains the Asian side’s only victory against Australia in international cricket.

The now-maligned Mohammad Ashraful was the hero of that famous day in Cardiff which began with the news that Andrew Symonds had been dropped after getting drunk on the eve of the match. Australia missed Symonds’ ability to provide a late flourish as they could only manage 249 in their fifty overs with the batsmen struggling to get runs on what was a sluggish pitch.

Bangladesh started off slowly as well and were struggling at 72/3 in the 21st over when Habibul Bashar joined Ashraful at the crease. The pair went on to add 130 runs for the fourth wicket in 23 overs with Ashraful, at that time, becoming only the second Bangladesh cricketer to score an ODI century. Though the pair couldn’t hang on till the end, a timely cameo by Aftab Ahmed who remained unbeaten on 21 runs from 13 balls helped them chase down the target with four balls to spare.

#3 Bangladesh vs India, 2007 World Cup

Mushfiqur Rahim Bangladesh Cricket
Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Ashraful celebrate after defeating India in the 2007 World Cup

India 191 all out lost to Bangladesh 192/5 (48.3 overs) by five wickets

The 2007 World Cup turned out to be one of India’s most painful memories in the history of cricket, but for Bangladesh, it sort of helped them re-establish themselves as a major cricket-playing nation following a number of disappointing results.

The focus was on how Team India would turn with all the talk of disharmony in the team, especially the bitter battle between coach Greg Chappell and Sourav Ganguly which saw the latter lose his spot as Team skipper before earning his place back in the team with a spectacular tour of South Africa just ahead of the 2007 World Cup.

Ganguly would go on to top score in the Indian innings with 66 while Yuvraj Singh provided the only other notable contribution making 47 runs as India were bundled out for a paltry total of 191 runs. Despite the best efforts of the Indian bowlers, half centuries by Tamim Iqbal, Shakib-al-Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, who remained unbeaten with a patient 56 off 107 balls, guided Bangladesh home with nine balls to spare and five wickets in hand.

The win saw Bangladesh progress to the Super Eight stages while India exited the tournament following another group stage loss to Sri Lanka.

#4 Bangladesh vs England, 2015 World Cup

Rubel Hossain Bangladesh Cricket
Rubel Hossain bowled with great heart in the final stages to help Bangladesh beat England in a thriller

Bangladesh 275/7 in 50 overs beat England 260 all out by 15 runs

Bangladesh were making progress with every passing World Cup campaign as the 2007 World Cup was followed by its feat in the 2011 World Cup where they won three matches in the group stages, including one against England, and only managed to miss out on progressing to the quarter-finals on net run-rate behind West Indies.

Bangladesh would once again dash England’s World Cup hopes with a thrilling 15-run victory and the victory at the Adelaide Oval ranks superior to the one at Chittagong four years earlier due to the sheer emotions involved and how the Asian nation outplayed the English in conditions which were considered more favourable to Eoin Morgan’s side.

Batting first, Bangladesh scored 275 runs in their 50 overs with Mohammad Mohammadullah scoring Bangladesh’s first ever World Cup hundred and Mushfiqur Rahim scoring 89 runs off 77 balls. England started off well but three wickets with the addition of just 11 runs on the board saw them being reduced to 132/5 in the 30th over.

Jos Buttler’s quick-fire half-century brought England back into the contest but a spirited bowling performance by Rubel Hossain meant England fell short by 15 runs with Chirs Woakes left stranded at one end on 40.

#5 Bangladesh vs England, 2nd Test, 2016

Mehdi Hassan Bangladesh Cricket
Man-of-the-Match Mehdi Hassan celebrates after clinching the final England wicket to level the series 1-1

Bangladesh 220 all out and 296 all out beat England 244 all out and 164 all out by 108 runs

Following the feisty ODI series which saw a lot of unsavoury incidents between the two sides, the crowd was looking forward to the two-match Test series with much anticipation and looking back, it is safe to say that they got more than what they bargained for.

The first Test at Chittagong was a thrilling one with Bangladesh narrowly missing out on a famous victory as they fell short by 22 runs chasing a target of 285 on the fifth day. However, the hosts had the final laugh as they scripted their Test win in history and their first against England as Alastair Cook’s side collapsed from a position of strength of 100 for no loss before losing ten wickets for 64 runs falling short of the target of 272 by a margin of 108 runs.

Tamim Iqbal’s century in the first innings was undermined by a lacklustre showing by his fellow batsmen saw Bangladesh score only 220 runs with England gaining a slender 24-run lead in the first innings. The second innings saw a much more balanced effort by the host batsmen as they posted 296 runs on the board thereby setting up a target of 272 for the visitors.

Half-centuries by Alastair Cook and Ben Duckett meant that England were cruising at one stage but it all turned upside down after Tea on Day Three with 19-year-old Mehdi Hasan taking 6-77 and Shakib al Hasan 4-49 as England were bundled out for 164 runs thus giving their most famous victory yet in the longest format of the game.

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Edited by Staff Editor