Congratulations to the Bangladeshi Cricket Team for making the best possible start to the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, with victory over South Africa at The Oval.
Despite Bangladesh’s solid preparation leading up to the tournament -- winning 14 of their last 22 ODIs which also culminated in its first tri-series victory last month in Ireland -- there were still doubts about the team’s chances against the more prolific teams in the tournament, with many feeling that they should be lumped in with Sri Lanka as the weakest side in this edition of the world cup.
To say that this team has silenced its doubters with aplomb would be an understatement.
Despite losing the toss and put to bat against the fearsome South African bowling line up, Bangladesh proceeded to score 330 runs, our highest-ever score in this format of the game and then proceeded to defend the total with some excellent bowling and disciplined fielding.
It is a testament to how far this team has come that it was able to produce such a fantastic performance in its first game on the biggest stage of all, against a team always favoured to go deep in the tournament.
Make no mistakes about it -- the Tigers are not just going to roll over.
Our team is here to play, and after their performance against South Africa, they will not only demand respect from their future opponents but command it.
