Two unheralded Bangladeshi tail-enders with ice in their veins played the innings of their lives to subject England to yet another giant-killing act on Friday.
Shafiul Islam (24) and Mahmudullah (21) defied the nerve-jangling pressure to forge an unbeaten 58-run ninth wicket stand to complete a two-wicket Group B victory that even their captain did not think they could pull off.
“I never believed they can win it for us. It’s only after hitting the winning run that I believed they have done this,” said Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan, whose house was stoned by irate fans after the team’s defeat by West Indies last week.
At 169-8, Bangladesh’s chase for a 226-run victory target on a tricky track looked so doomed that even some of their ardent followers exited the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium shaking their heads, not realising the drama that was about to unfold.
Aided by England’s profligate bowlers who conceded 33 extras, including 23 wides, in the see-saw contest, both the tail-enders kept going before Mahmudullah drove Tim Bresnan through covers to seal the match with one over to spare and trigger wild celebrations.
Tamim Iqbal (38), Imrul Kayes (60) and Shakib (32) chipped in with useful cameos but Shafiul and Mahmudullah were the toast of the nation.
Wary of the dew factor, Shakib won a good toss and opted to field and he had reasons to feel vindicated when the English bowlers struggled to grip the wet ball in the evening.
England’s batting was also inconsistent and if it had not been for the knocks by Jonathan Trott (67) and Eoin Morgan (63), they might not have even scored 225 all out.
They looked completely shackled by the home team bowlers, managing just four boundaries in the first 20 overs.
Once again, they could not make the most of their batting powerplay either, managing just 33 runs and losing two wickets.
Defending a below-par total, English bowlers seemed to have turned the table on their hosts before being thwarted by Bangladesh’s spectacular rearguard resistance.
“We are very disappointed, it was a missed opportunity for us,” rued England skipper Andrew Strauss, admitting problems both in the batting and bowling departments.
Consistency has been a real problem for the team which narrowly escaped an upset against the Netherlands, tied with India, went down to Ireland before losing to Bangladesh here.
“These defeats hurt, there’s no doubt about it,” said Strauss, whose side could have sealed a place in the last eight if they had won Friday’s match.
“But you’ve got to channel that frustration and make sure you channel it the right way and come out and beat the next side you’re playing against. It’s a big game for us (against the West Indies) and we’re going to have to win it.”
England now need to win their final match against the West Indies on March 17 to be sure of a quarter-final place while Bangladesh next face Netherlands on Monday and then South Africa on March 19. Wins would take them through.
SCOREBOARD
England innings
Andrew Strauss c Junaid b Naeem 18
Matt Prior st Mushfiqur b Razzak 15
Jonathan Trott c Junaid b Shakib 67
Ian Bell c Naeem b Mahmuduallah 5
Eoin Morgan c Kayes b Naeem 63
Ravi Bopara c Naeem b Razzak 16
Graeme Swann c & b Shakib 12
Paul Collingwood run out (Mahmuduallah) 14
Tim Bresnan c Shafiul b Rubel 2
Ajmal Shahzad b Shafiul 1
James Anderson not out 2
Extras: (2lb, 8w) 10
Total: (all out, 49.4 overs) 225
Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-39, 3-53, 4-162, 5-182, 6-195, 7-209, 8-215, 9-217.
Bowling: Shafiul Islam 8-0-43-1 (2w), Rubel Hossain 8.4-0-40-1 (1w), Naeem Islam 8-0-29-2, Abdur Razzak 10-2-32-2 (3w), Mahmuduallah Riad 5-0-30-1, Shakib Al Hasan 10-0-49-2.
Bangladesh innings
Tamim Iqbal b Bresnan 38
Imrul Kayes run out (Prior) 60
Zunaed Siddique run out (Anderson) 12
Roqibul Hassan b Shahzad 0
Shakib Al Hasan b Swann 32
Mushfiqur Rahim c Prior b Shahzad 6
Mahmuduallah Riad not out 21
Naeem Islam b Shahzad 0
Abdur Razzak c Bresnan b Swann 1
Shafiul Islam not out 24
Extras: (1b, 9lb, 23w) 33
Total: (for eight wickets, 49 overs) 227
Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-70, 3-73, 4-155, 5-162, 6-166, 8-169.
Bowling: James Anderson 9-0-54-0 (3w), Ajmal Shahzad 10-0-43-3 (5w), Tim Bresnan 10-1-35-1 (1w), Graeme Swann 10-1-42-2 (2w), Ravi Bopara 3-0-19-0 (3w), Paul Collingwood 7-0-24-0.
Did not bat: Rubel Hossain.
Result: Bangladesh won by two wickets.
Toss: Bangladesh.
Umpires: Daryl Harper, Australia, and Rod Tucker, Australia.
TV umpire: Aleem Dar, Pakistan. Match referee: Jeff Crowe, New Zealand.
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