2017 ICC Champions Trophy: Shakib-Mahmudullah Partnership Was Phenomenal, Says Mashrafe Mortaza

Nov 2, 2023 at 3:43 PM

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2017 ICC Champions Trophy: Shakib-Mahmudullah Partnership Was Phenomenal, Says Mashrafe Mortaza

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza has lauded Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah for their ‘phenomenal’ partnership that helped the Tigers to register a remarkable win over New Zealand in their final group game on Friday (June 9).

Needing 266 runs to win in the must-win game, Bangladesh were in a huge spot of bother when Tim Southee’s fiery spell reduced them to 33-4. However, they staged a spectacular comeback to secure a stunning five-wicket victory over New Zealand to keep their hopes of making it to the semifinal alive. And the architects of the famous win were Shakib and Mahmudullah as they shared a record fifth-wicket stand of 224 to help their team cross the target with 16 balls remaining. Shakib scored 114 while Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on 102.

Speaking after the game, Mortaza said he has his apprehensions after four wickets fell cheaply but sensed a turnaround when the duo crossed the 100-run mark.

“We thought 266 was gettable, but after 33 for four it becomes very hard,” Mortaza said, “Once the partnership got to a hundred I knew those two could make a difference. They’ve done it a lot of other times, but it was phenomenal to get a 200 partnership.”

What made Bangladesh’s chase even more difficult was the dismissal of their opener Tamim Iqbal. The southpaw had scored a century and 95 in the first two games of the tournament but failed to open his account against the Black Caps. However, Mortaza was not disappointed with Tamim’s performance and said his team has the players to make up for the opener’s failures.

“We know Tamim cannot get a score every time, but we have got some excellent players who can win games.”

The victory has put Mashrafe Mortaza’s side on three points which means they can secure a historic semi-final qualification if hosts England beats Australia in Saturday’s (June 10) clash at Birmingham. And while Mortaza reckoned that it would be nice for his team to get a favour from England, he wished both the teams good luck.

“That will be nice (if England wins), but we can’t just expect Australia to lose that game,” Mortaza told reporters, “I would like to say the best of luck to both teams because whatever we could do we did. That is most important for us.”

“Obviously, I would like to go to the semis and if we do we will hopefully play better cricket than in the last three matches. We have to wait now, but in the last three years, we keep improving a lot. This sort of performance really helps us to move forward, especially with the 2019 World Cup (in England) coming up. It will really boost the team,” said Mortaza.

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