Bangladeshi Golden boys Shafiul Islam and Mahmudullah became the toast of the nation on Friday March 11,2011 after steering their team to a stunning two-wicket World Cup win over England. The co-hosts looked to be probably heading out of the competition with England progressing to the last eight when they slumped.
To 169-8 chasing 226 to win on an unpredictable wicket with the ball reverse swinging.
HERE ARE RECORDED THIS HISTORICAL MOMENTS.
But at 169 for eight, it looked like they had just about managed to pull it off. A huge over off Graeme Swann swung the momentum back towards the home side, before Jimmy Anderson then lost his focus, his fire, his line, the plot and ultimately the game.
It seems almost impossible given all that's gone before, but somehow England have retained their ability to flabbergast. A fifth consecutive close finish in a row, and as if to illustrate perfectly the random nature of such games, they've claimed two wins, two losses and a tie. A win over the West Indies in their final game is now an absolute must, but they'll then have to sit tight for a few days and hope the West Indies don't turn over India, who have already qualified. Bangladesh will also have a chance to qualify at England's expense by beating Holland and South Africa. It really is a complete soup in that group.
The last word has to go to Bangladesh. What spirit, what guts and what skill. With their first ever World Cup campaign on home soil disappearing into thin air, and their public turning against them, they simply rewrote the script. They deservedly fight on. Have a good weekend, everyone.
From Ian Chandler: "Well done Bangladesh and a fantastic ninth wicket stand. No desire to remove some of the credit from the victors but England were truly awful and perhaps not such a shock to lose this today."
16.49 The Bangladesh team are doing a lap of honour. The stadium's perhaps a third full - everyone else left after the eighth wicket fell - but they're still making the noise of a full MCG. After Mitchell Johnson's just crusted some England tail-ender on the helmet. Except without the burping and, probably, the swearing.
The Analyst on Twitter: "Amazing match. Well played Bangladesh. 33 extras cost England. Have to beat Windies now."
That unbeaten ninth wicket partnership put on 58 from 56 deliveries. They're still cheering in Chittagong, the flags are still flying, and as the beaten England side drag themselves off the field, Group B is about as clear as a muddy puddle. England, by the looks of it, will need to beat the West Indies to qualify for the last eight.
49.0 227/8
FOUR! BANGLADESH WIN BY TWO WICKETS
Through the covers! One of the most famous wins in Bangladesh's history, and what a roar that is! Bangladesh have pulled their World Cup out of the fire with one of the gutsiest, most unlikely partnerships you could hope to see! Half the crowd had gone home!
48.5 223/8 Dot ball. 3 off 7.
48.4 223/8 Mahmudullah defends. Dot ball. Bresnan wants a slip. He doesn't get one. 3 off 8 balls.
48.3 223/8 Single down to third man! Ignominy beckons for England... 3 off 9 balls.
48.2 222/8 Good yorker! Shafiul digs it out - he's on 23 not out - and it's a dot. Four off 10.
48.1 222/8 Single to square leg as Bresnan strays too straight in line! Four off 11 balls! One nick, one edge, one hit...
OVER 48 BAN 221/8 A single to fine leg. Bangladesh need five runs off two overs. What on earth can Andrew Strauss do? He has a chat with Collingwood. Who's going to bowl the penultimate over? Bresnan...
47.5 220/8 A dot! Mahmudullah defends it. 6 off 13. Is there another twist?
47.4 220/8 A leg bye into the leg side. Strauss has to drag the field in now, surely? 6 off 14. England need these two wickets. That's the only way they're going to pull this one out of the reactor.
47.3 219/8 Last rites for England! Shafiul thumps it straight back past Anderson for four! What a marvellous hit! 7 needed off 15 balls.
47.2 215/8 Forward defensive from Shafiul. Dot ball. 11 off 16.
47.1 215/8 Single to Mahmudullah down to fine leg. Luke Wright cuts it off. Where did he come from? 11 off 17.
OVER 47: BAN 214/8 Mahmudullah 15* Shafiul 20* Shafiul hoiks it high over backward point! Who wants it? It drops short... and goes for four! Shafiul then scrambles a leg bye, Mahmudullah adds another single, and then Bresnan shoves in a horrible full toss, and Shafiul slams it away through point for four! That could be the ball game for Bangladesh! Someone get a message out to the mob down at Imrul Kayes's house. They may have been a trifle premature. Bangladesh need 12 off 18 balls. Jimmy Anderson's going to bowl... and I'm going ball by ball.
OVER 46: BAN 204/8 Mahmudullah 14* Shafiul 11* Five wides! Anderson begins his over with a gift down the leg side! That takes the number of wides this innings to 21, which is unforgivable in a game as low-scoring as this. Shafiul then pushes a single into the covers, before another wide by Anderson! And another! Anderson's completely lost the plot! He gets the next one on target, and it's pleasing to see that the concept of ironically applauding a struggling bowler has made its way out to the Indian sub-continent. Another single! The Bangladesh players in the dugout can barely bear to watch. The last ball is almost another wide, but it just clips Shafiul's pad, and they run a leg bye. Bangladesh now need 22 from 24 balls. That Anderson over cost 11. Daniel Murphy writes: "Jonathan, I was hoping to get a flier from work today but am now glued to the over-by-over updates. Please advise."
OVER 45: BAN 193/8 Mahmudullah 12* Shafiul 10* No Powerplay taken, so it will automatically come into force at the end of this over. That inner ring is watertight, pouncing to save the single, and Bresnan begins with four dot balls. Mahmudullah eventually scampers a leg bye, but an excellent stop by Bopara at cover saves a single. Bangladesh need 33 off 30 balls, and those last 30 balls will all be bowled under the rules of the batting Powerplay.
OVER 44: BAN 192/8 Mahmudullah 12* Shafiul 10* Anderson returns in place of Swann, who does have the tendency to concede the off 16-run over. It's the price you pay for genius, I suppose. Anderson's tactic looks to be short, wide and deceptively slow. It does for Shafiul, who's backing away to the leg side, but a fumble by Prior gifts Bangladesh a bye. Another single into the off-side from Mahmudullah. Three off the over, leaving 34 to win off 36 balls. Bresnan returns. Good move.
OVER 43: BAN 189/8 Mahmudullah 10* Shafiul 10* The crowd - what's left of it anyway - is back on its feet. Every run is now being cheered as if it's Elvis. Applause is pretty much constant. Shahzad starts with a wide to put England even further on edge. But it's a good line and length after that, just a single into the leg side from Mahmudullah. 37 off 7 overs. But just Rubel Hossain at number 11 to come. "How good is he?" David Lloyd asks. "Not too good," his local co-commentator Shamim Chowdhry replies.
OVER 42: BAN 187/8 Mahmudullah 9* Shafiul 10* Four! Mahmudullah - who has a Test century against New Zealand to his name - gets down on the reverse sweep and gets all four for it. And four more as Shafiul carves Swann over cover! And now, a huge six! The first six of the match, as Shafiul wallops Swann over mid-wicket! Tell you what, England might just be getting those butterflies again, especially with a batting Powerplay to come. That'll teach us to start looking at potential quarter-final opponents. 39 from 8 overs.
OVER 41: BAN 171/8 Mahmudullah 4* Shafiul 0* Just one off that over. File this email under 'Counting Your Chickens'. From Peter Rowntree: "What's this about getting thumped by the Aussies? Surely England will play their trump card now and call for a replacement - Alastair Cook. The man who should have been opening the innings with Straussy in the one-day series in Australia. One look at Alastair after the Ashes drubbing will just about scare the Aussies to death!" 55 needed off 9 overs.
OVER 40: BAN 170/8 Mahmudullah 3* Shafiul 0* Mahmudullah gets a single, but the run rate's now getting on top of Bangladesh too. 56 wanted off the last 10 overs, and as Shahzad prepares to start another over, this could be over in a hurry. Five wickets, for 15 runs, in nine overs.
WICKET! Razzak c Bresnan b Swann 1 (5) BAN 169/8
Let me tell you, that's an extraordinary catch. Huge slog sweep from Razzak, and it went absolutely miles in the air. Bresnan at mid-on back-pedalled for dear life, steadied himself, braced himself, and ended up tumbling to his left to take the catch. Shafiul Islam the new batsman, and there is actually now a queue to get out of the ground. You should try paying £80 for a ticket a Lords, chaps. If nothing else, paying £80 for a ticket really fixes your backside to that seat for every miserable minute...
Stuart Broad on Twitter: "Shaz you beauty! Good skills. 3 wickets for the QFs"
OVER 39: BAN 168/7 Mahmudullah 1* Razzak 1* Abdur Razzak, the left-arm spinner, is the new batsman. After two dot balls, Shahzad switches round the wicket and Razzak takes a single into the leg side. Mahmudullah then fences through backward point to get him off the mark. 58 needed off 66 balls.
WICKET! Naeem Islam b Shahzad 0 (5) BAN 166/7
Shahzad! Oh, brilliant! Oh, yes! That, you might be forced to conclude, is the perfect delivery. Again pitched on middle-and-off and hit the top of off. Hardly disturbed the stumps. Our Ajmal, you see, he only deals in bails. Surely this is England's game to lose now. The crowd certainly think so, as they're filing through the turnstiles and heading home, possibly via Imrul Kayes's house.
