CWC 2019: WI vs BAN – Records tumble after Shakib, Liton heroics
Bangladesh surged to one of their most famous ODI victories yesterday (17th June) by toppling West Indies at Taunton. Chasing 322, Shakib Al Hasan led the way for Bangla tigers with an unbeaten knock of 124 runs. The partnership between him and Liton Das for the fourth wicket helped the Asian side seal an emphatic win over the Caribbean lads. The spectacular batting performance included a few record-breaking feats. Here’s a rundown.
The super chase
By getting to 322 runs in just 41.3 overs, Bangladesh raced to their highest-ever chase in ODI cricket. Their previous best (319 runs) was against Scotland in the 2015 World Cup. The latest effort was also the joint second-highest in the World Cup. The record still belongs to Ireland who had defeated England at Bangalore by chasing down 328 runs in the 2011 World Cup.
Also read: Shakib leads Bangladesh to historic win
Shakib stars with the bat
Following his blazing knock of 121 against England, Shakib Al Hasan scored his second consecutive century in this tournament. He became the second Bangladeshi to achieve this feat. His teammate Mahmudullah had earlier scored back-to-back centuries in the 2015 World Cup. Interestingly, Shakib and Mahmudullah are the only centurions for Bangladesh in the mega tournament.
In the course of his 124 not out, Shakib crossed the milestone of 6000 runs for his nation in ODIs. Before him, only Tamim Iqbal had accomplished this feat. Iqbal is currently the national leading run-getter with 6743 runs in 50-over cricket. World’s number one all-rounder equalled with Iqbal in another achievement. Shakib scored his 5th successive 50-plus score in ODIs which is the joint-longest streak of such scores for Bangladesh.
The momentous stand
After the fall of Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib and Liton added 189 runs for the fourth wicket and saw the team home. The unbeaten stand is Bangladesh’s highest for any wicket in the World Cup. The previous record was held by the pair of Shakib and Rahim, who had added 142 runs against South Africa in Bangladesh’s first match of the 2019 World Cup. This is also the highest unbeaten partnership for the Asian nation in ODIs.
Breaking the streak
In their four World Cup encounters before this match, West Indies had defeated Bangladesh thrice while one game ended in no result. This seven-wicket win at Taunton was Bangladesh’s first over West Indies in the quadrennial event. It was also their fifth successive victory over the Caribbean side in ODIs.
