"Lone warrior of Bangladesh"- Fans laud Mahmudullah for his 111-run knock in SA vs BAN 2023 World Cup match

Bangladeshi all-rounder Mohammad Mahmudullah put up a spirited performance during his team's defeat against South Africa in the 2023 World Cup on Tuesday, October 24. The 37-year-old scored 111 runs off 111 balls in an innings where Bangladesh lost their 10 wickets for 233.

South Africa elected to bat first after winning the toss at the Wankhede Stadium. The decision worked in their favor as Quinton de Kock's 174-run knock propelled them to 382/5 in 50 overs.

Chasing 383 for a win, Bangladesh slumped to 81/6 after 22 overs. At one stage, it looked like the Proteas would bowl their opponents out for less than 150 runs. However, Mahmudullah played a fighting 111-run knock, hitting 11 fours and four sixes. He had a 68-run ninth-wicket partnership with Mustafizur Rahman before losing his wicket.

Bangladesh eventually lost the match by 149 runs. Although Mahmudullah's knock came in a losing cause, his batting performance impressed a lot of fans. Here are some of the top reactions from Twitter:

Mahmudullah can break AB de Villiers and Mahela Jayawardene's all-time World Cup record soon

Today's century against South Africa marked the third time the Bangladeshi all-rounder scored a triple digit score while batting at number four or below in a World Cup match. He stands second on the list of players with the most hundreds while batting at number four or below in World Cup matches.

Former South African skipper AB de Villiers and former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene registered four centuries each when playing below the number three position. Bangladesh will play a minimum of four more matches in the 2023 World Cup. If the veteran all-rounder can continue his top form, he can break the all-time record of De Villiers and Jayawardene.

Bangladesh will play their next match against the Netherlands on October 28 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.