5 Highest run-chases by Bangladesh in ODI World Cup history

Bangladesh vs West Indies 2019. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Bangladesh have been making steady progress in the game since the last decade. Their first World Cup appearance came in 1999 when they shocked the cricketing world by defeating eventual runner-up Pakistan and finished the competition with two wins and three defeats.

Their performance in the 2003 World Cup was not promising but they came back in 2007 by progressing ahead of the group stage for the first time after registering a famous win over India. In 2015 too, they progressed ahead of the group stage before losing to India in the quarter-final. Bangladesh are now considered a force to reckon with in the 50-over format and will be eyeing a good performance in the upcoming 50-over World Cup.

In recent years, Bangladesh have come up with some memorable performances in the World Cup, and let’s a look at a few of those matches. As Bangladesh get ready for this year’s marquee event, here is a look at-

5 highest successful run-chases by Bangladesh in ODI World Cup history

5. 161 vs Netherlands, 2011 World Cup

At number five on this list is Bangladesh’s win over the Netherlands in the 2011 World Cup. The Bangla Tigers were brimming with confidence after upsetting England in their previous game and delivered a clinical performance against the Dutch.

Ryan ten Doeschate scored an unbeaten fifty but it was not enough for his team to post a good total as Bangladesh bowled them out for just 160 in 46.2 overs. For Bangladesh, left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for just 29 runs off his 10 overs.

Chasing a modest total, Bangladesh crossed the finishing line in less than 42 overs. Opener Imrul Kayes led the foundation for the convincing six-wicket win by scoring an unbeaten 73. The likes of Junaid Siddique and Shahriar Nafees also played crucial knocks, scoring 35 and 37 runs respectively.

4. 192 vs India, 2007 World Cup

One of Bangladesh’s most famous wins in ODIs came in the 2007 World Cup when they locked horns against India. The Men in Blue were one of the favourites for the competition and a win against minnows Bangladesh looked like a mere formality. However, Rahul Dravid and his men were in for a huge shock as Bangladesh stunned them by five wickets.

Batting first, India were all out for just 191 despite having the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Dravid, and MS Dhoni in their ranks. Ganguly top-scored for India, scoring 66 while Yuvraj scored 47. In reply, Bangladesh were reeling at 79 for 3 before two youngsters – Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim – shared an 84-run stand to revive the chase.

Both the batsmen went on to score the fifties as Bangladesh chased down the total with nine balls to spare. Shakib scored 53 while Rahim remained unbeaten on 56.

3. 226 vs England, 2011 World Cup

In 2011, Bangladesh co-hosted the World Cup for the first time, but could not perform well as they crashed out at the group stage. However, they did not bow out of the tournament before registering a famous win over England. It was their first-ever win over England in the World Cup and what made it even more special was that it came in front of the home crowd.

Batting first, England started poorly with the bat and were three down for just 53 before the fifties from Jonathon Trott and Eoin Morgan as they shared a 109-run stand for the fourth wicket. Trott scored 67 while Morgan scored 63 as England finished with a modest total of 225 runs. In reply, Bangladesh began poorly too, and were reeling at 73 for 3.

Imrul Kayes and Shakib Al Hasan steadied the ship with an 82-run stand before both of them departed in quick succession. Those dismissals triggered a collapse and Bangladesh soon found themselves eight down for 169 from 155/3. However,  a heroic ninth-wicket stand between Shafiul Islam and Mahmudullah eventually took Bangladesh home. The duo put on 58 from 56 balls to help Bangladesh clinch the game with one over remaining.

2. 319 vs Scotland, 2015 World Cup

At the second spot in this list is Bangladesh’s memorable victory over Scotland in the 2015 World Cup when they chased down 319. Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and elected to bowl first. Scotland responded in style by posting a huge total of 318 for 8 with opener Kyle Coetzer scoring his maiden World Cup ton.

Coetzer scored 156 off 134 balls and although his stunning effort eventually went in vain, he was adjudged the Man of the Match. Chasing 319 runs to win, Bangladesh crossed the finishing line with 11 balls to spare. Opener Tamim Iqbal starred with the bat as the left-handed batsman scored 95 to lay the foundation for the successful chase.

After him, as many as three Bangladesh batsmen – Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Shakib Al Hasan – scored fifties too to play a big role in the memorable win. The win played a big role in Bangladesh’s progress ahead of the group stage in the World Cup for just the second time.

1. 322 vs West Indies, 2019 World Cup

Bangladesh’s highest run-chase in ODI World Cups came in the last edition of the tournament when they were up against West Indies in Taunton. Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and elected to bowl first. He and his bowlers could not really justify the decision as West Indies finished their innings with a big total of 321 for 8.

As many as three batsmen from West Indies scored fifties with Shai Hope top-scoring with 96. The other half-centurions were Evin Lewis who scored 70 and Shimron Hetmyer who scored 50 off just 26 balls. In reply, Bangladesh sensationally chased down the total in just 41.3 overs to create history.

Openers Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar gave Bangladesh a good start by adding 52 runs for the first wicket before Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das took charge of the innings. The duo shared an unbeaten stand of 189 runs to take their team home. Shakib remained unbeaten on 124 while Liton missed out on a well-deserved century by just six runs.