A picture worth waiting for

A flashback: On February 18, 2015, the Bangladesh team led by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza had paraded around the Manuka Oval applauding the crowd in Canberra after Mushfiqur Rahim had taken the bails off the last Afghanistan wicket. A clinical performance from the Tigers in their opening fixture of that World Cup, which they won by a huge 105-run margin, had virtually banished any thoughts of a stumble that were prevalent in the build-up to the mega-tournament. Still, many raised their eyebrows and their then coach Chandika Hathurusingha reportedly asked his players after the celebrations if winning that match was the only thing the Tigers had come to Australia for.

Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim (bellow) not being able to carry their bat for even bigger scores. Photo: AFP

After four years, we -- those of us in the newsroom and the people in this newspaper -- had to struggle for a vigorous picture of the Tigers roaring or celebrating in such manner after their more glorious 21-run win against a formidable South Africa in the opening match of the 12th version of cricket's showpiece event.

True, they celebrated all those precious moments during the match. But once the job was done, serenity prevailed in the camp and Mashrafe made it clear during the post-match briefing that they did not want to be too excited and, more importantly, that they were quick to shift their focus to their next encounter against New Zealand tomorrow at The Oval in London.

A sharp change in mindset indeed from what they did four years back! This notion definitely gave the impression that they have just got off to a good start in a long and demanding journey and need to take positives from the match and rectify mistakes on way to fulfilling their first dream of making it into the last four.

No doubt they won a good, competitive match against a quality opponent, but there were also some pictures many might not prefer to publish on the auspicious occasion -- like Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim returning to the pavilion despite such wonderful knocks, or those missed chances in the fielding department. But the man in charge, Mashrafe, probably knows better than anybody that they cannot afford such luxuries in such a high-intensity tournament.

When they take on New Zealand tomorrow, they have to make sure they will not miss out on opportunities and execute their plans in order to not only continue their good run, but also bury the ghosts from a 3-0 ODI drubbing at the hands of the Kiwis in their backyards three months ago.

Nothing went in the Tigers' favour during that series. They especially had no answer for the speed and barrage of short deliveries from the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult and Matt Henry. The conditions are altogether different in the ongoing World Cup and the Tigers are in good shape, but New Zealand have the versatility under their belt to give Bangladesh a tough time again. So the only a perfect Tigers can ensure revenge for that previous series defeat.

The 'dream start' re-ignited the dream of millions and a win against New Zealand will no doubt make the Eid celebrations even more colourful, but Mashrafe and Co. have a long way to go to make their final dreams come true; and for a picture of the Tiger-like celebration.

Facts

Bangladesh have faced New Zealand four times in the World Cup since their maiden appearance in the quadrennial mega event in 1999. However, the Black Caps hold a 100 per cent win record against Bangladesh in the World Cup, having won all four matches.

Mahmudullah Riyad became the only Bangladesh batsman to have scored a century against New Zealand in the World Cup when he struck 128 runs in the 2015 edition in Hamilton. Mahmudullah's unbeaten knock remains the highest score by a Bangladeshi in the World Cup, however, the Tigers went on to lose the match by three wickets.

Of the two teams, Shakib Al Hasan is the second highest run getter with 575 runs from 21 matches to his name while New Zealand's Ross Taylor took first spot with 921 runs. The star all-rounder struck two hundred and two fifties at an average of 30.26 against The Black Caps. In addition, he is also the leading wicket-taker in the matches played between the sides, picking up a total of 35 wickets at an average of 25.74 while his best bowling figures were four for 33.