All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan's stunning 124* helped Bangladesh achieve the second highest run chase in Cricket World Cup history and push the West Indies close to elimination in a surprisingly comfortable seven-wicket victory on Monday, 17 June.
When the West Indies surged to post 321-8, it knew every team making 300-plus batting first had won in this World Cup. Eight times out of eight.
But Bangladesh treated the fact like fluff on a shirt, flicking it off, as it reached 322-3 to win with 51 balls to spare. With this, Bangladesh have registered
- their first World Cup win against Windies
- their highest run-chase in ODIs
- the highest-ever run-chase against Windies in World Cup matches
Bangladesh remain in the reckoning for a semifinal spot with five points from five matches while it’s getting tougher for West Indies a place in the last four as they now have three points from five matches.
West Indies’ Innings
After being sent in to bat, West Indies were able to post a challenging 321 courtesy Shai Hope's patient 121-ball 91 and Shimron Hetmyer’s quick-fire fifty.
West Indies lost Chris Gayle (0) early and could manage only 32 runs in the first powerplay with the Bangladesh pacers bowling in tandem.
However, Hope shared a 116-run partnership with opener Evin Lewis (70) for the second wicket before adding another 83 runs with Hetmyer (50 off 26 balls).
Shakib dismissed Lewis, having him caught at long-off as West Indies slipped to 122 for two.
Hope then completed his fifty in 75 balls but new man Nicholas Pooran (25) could not stay longer as WI lost their third wicket in the 33rd over.
That brought Hetmyer to the crease and he took the Bangladesh bowlers to the cleaners, smashing four boundaries and three sixes in his 26-ball whirlwind innings.
Once Hetmyer was back to the hut, captain Jason Holder blasted 33 off 15 balls with the help of four hits to the fence and two sixes to keep the flow of runs but West Indies lost their way after he was dismissed in the 44th over.
Hope too holed out in the 47th over.
For Bangladesh, pace duo of Mohammad Saifuddin (3/72) and Mustafizur Rahman (3/59) snapped three wickets each, while Shakib Al Hasan (2/54) took two.
Bangladesh’s Innings
Besides all-rounder Shakib's 99-ball 124, Liton Das also played a big part in the win as he remained not out on 94 off just 69 balls in a brilliant batting show. He hit 8 fours and 4 sixes in his knock.
The Shakib-Das stand for the unbroken fourth wicket yielded 189 runs from 22.3 overs to take Bangladesh to 322 for 3 in 41.3 overs and notch up their second win in the tournament after their 21-run victory over South Africa on 2 June.
Shakib's 124 not out, his ninth ODI century, was studded with 16 fours. In the process, he also reached the personal milestone of scoring 6,000 ODI runs in his 202nd innings.
This was his second century in this World Cup after the 121 against England for a losing cause in Cardiff on 8 June.
Bangladesh made a confident start to their run chase as they repelled the West Indies' barrage of bouncers initially before slowly beginning to dictate terms on the Caribbean bowlers. In the end, it turned out to be an easy win with Shakib and Das taking their side home with 51 balls to spare.
Opener Tamim Iqbal made a confident start to the run chase with six fours in his 53-ball innings of 48 before being superbly run out by Sheldon Cottrell.
Coming in the pivotal number 3 in the ninth over at team score of 52 for 1, Shakib stitched 69 runs with opener Iqbal for the second wicket before the 189 with Das.
Shakib, whose three innings in this World Cup read 75, 64 and 121, continued with his imperious form as he punished all the West Indies bowlers during his memorable innings.
The highest successful run chase in World Cup history was the 329 for 7 by Ireland to beat England in the 2011 World Cup in Bengaluru while Bangladesh have also earlier managed 322 batting second, against Scotland in 2015 World Cup.
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