‘An important chance to adjust’

India pulled off a six-wicket victory against five-time champions Australia on Sunday in their opening game of the 2023 ICC World Cup in Chennai.

Chasing 200 for victory, India were reeling after three of their top four batters fell for ducks in the low-scoring contest at the M A Chidambaram Stadium.

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul not only weathered the storm after Australia had reduced India to 2-3, but ended up turning the game on its head with a brilliant 165-run partnership for the fourth wicket that setup a comfortable win.

Rahul and Kohli frustrated Australia with their risk-free accumulation of runs, rotating the strike and running hard between the wickets despite the heat.

"Virat said we have to play proper shots and that I should play like test cricket for some time and then see where it goes," Rahul said.

"That was mostly the plan and happy that we could do the job for the team."

Sealing victory with a six in a World Cup match would give unparallel joy to most cricketers but Rahul had a bittersweet feeling about the shot.
Rahul was on 91 and India needed five to win when the elegant right-hander hit Pat Cummins for a six through the off-side to seal victory.

After collecting the player-of-the-match trophy for his stellar 97 not out, Rahul said he wanted to hit a four and then go for a six to try to bring up his hundred.

"I hit it too well," the versatile batter, at home anywhere in top and middle order, said.

"I wanted to get a hundred by going four and six. Hopefully, some other time I can get it."

The 31-year-old had just taken a shower on a hot and humid day and was hoping for some rest but had to rush out after India's top-order meltdown.

"I was hoping to put my feet up for half an hour after fielding, but I had to come in," he said.

Twice champions India next face Afghanistan on Wednesday.
 

The focus had already been shifting to Mehedi Hasan Miraz, and with Shakib Al Hasan unable to play the first Test against the Proteas in Mirpur -- what would have been his final bow from Tests -- the discussion largely centred on how Bangladesh could replace their best all-rounder. Miraz, already with a role in the side, is continuing to show the broad shoulders needed for bigger tasks.

When Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Liton Das fell in quick succession on the third day yesterday, with the Tigers' second-innings total reading 112 for six, it looked like an innings defeat was imminent. From there, Miraz took Jaker Ali along to forge a 138-run stand.

Miraz, unlike Shakib, was not known for his batting exploits. Of late, however, his reputation as a batter has gained prominence following a few crucial white-ball knocks. On the bowling front, Miraz's role is invaluable. His performances with the ball in Pakistan showed he had the gift of winning games with big contributions. Thus, he had been touted as one to take on the decisive roles. With Shakib absent, that future was already here in the ongoing Test.

"So those who bat at number seven will hold an important role, and at this moment there is no one exactly to replace Shakib bhai. But I feel Miraz can be a very good option," skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto had said ahead of the series opener.

"He's doing really well in Test cricket with both ball and bat, but there is room for improvement, and Miraz is ready to take that responsibility. I feel that in a few years, Miraz will be able to take that position," he added.  

Miraz has been involved in all three latest fightbacks with the bat in Tests after a top-order collapse. In the first Test in Rawalpindi this August, he had a 200-run-plus partnership with Mushfiqur. In the second Test, he paved the way by guiding Liton during an epic counterattack, leading to a historic 2-0 series win in Pakistan.

That his position is vital was laid bare again yesterday, as Miraz also showed Jaker how to nullify the spinners without going out of his way to try something extra. Asked how encouraging the Miraz and Jaker partnership was, Bangladesh spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed said: "Always good [witnessing such a fightback]. The reason behind this is the way you actually have to believe. If you see in the Pakistan series, we were 26 for six and then we came back from there; so those are the good, positive things."

After the early loss of wickets yesterday, Miraz bided his time to attack, playing well within himself. He blocked when there was opportunity and made bowlers such as Kagiso Rabada bowl to his strong zones. The pull shot in front of square is testament to this. He mocked the spinners with drives and sweeps but played with an authority that saw him take the least risks.

Shedding further light on Miraz and Jaker's approach, Mushtaq said: "Taijul Islam bowled brilliantly [on day one], but because they kept sweeping him, kept reverse-sweeping him, it put a little bit more pressure on the spinners. I think we are very happy with the way our guys actually have that attacking option against spinners."

Miraz was leading the way. He may not be quite Shakib, but pound for pound, he is everything Bangladesh needed in recent Tests.

Afghanistan delivered the first upset in the ongoing edition of the ICC ODI World Cup on Sunday, when they defeated the defending champions England by 69 runs in Delhi.

This was the Afghan side's second ever win in ODI World Cups and it also ranks high amongst the biggest upsets ever in the tournament.

In almost every edition of the World Cup since the 90s, the cricketing world has witnessed stunning upsets. Here is a chronological look at a few of the biggest ones.

Kenya v West Indies: 1996

A star-studded West Indies teams featuring Brian Lara, Richie Richardson, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh suffered a shocking defeat to Kenya, an associate team.

The match was initially following the expected script, with Kenya getting rolled over for 166.

But the West Indian batters could not get going at all in Pune and got bundled out for a paltry 93.

Zimbabwe v India: 1999

The Flower brothers - Andy and Grant - were the backbone of the Zimbabwe innings that reached a total of 252.

India, who were without their talismanic batsman Sachin Tendulkar who had flown back home from England to attend his father's funeral, in reply fell three runs short. 

At one point, India just needed seven runs with many overs remaining and six wickets in hand. However, ZImbabwean pacer Henry Olonga then struck thrice in the same over to seal a dramatic victory.

Bangladesh v Pakistan: 1999

A victory that remains very near and dear for all Bangladesh cricket fans, is the Tigers's stunning win over Pakistan at the 1999 ICC ODI World Cup.

Bangladesh managed to post a decent 223 in the first innings on the back of hard-fought innings from Akram Khan (42) and Shahriar Hossain (39).

Pakistan's chase then fell apart quickly as they lost wickets at regular intervals and limped to 42/5. 

Captain Wasim Akram and Azhar Mahmood tried to resurrect the innings but in the end, the Tigers bundled out Pakistan for 161.

Bangladesh all-rounder Khaled Mahmud was named the player of the match for 27 runs with the bat and three scalps with the ball.

Zimbabwe v South Africa: 1999

A star-studded South Africa line-up were on the charge toward a semi-final berth when they faced Zimbabwe.

Neil Johnson opened the Zimbabwe innings and top-scored with 76 to lead his side to a total of 233.

The all-rounder then took the new ball and dismissed Gary Kirsten with the first delivery of the innings to spark a stunning collapse that ended in a famous 48-run victory for the Zimbabweans.

Kenya v Sri Lanka: 2003

On their way to a berth at the semifinal, Kenya shocked Sri Lanka, beating them by 53 runs in Nairobi.

Kennedy Otieno was the key to a decent total of 210 as the opener raced to 60.

Sri Lanka then cruised to 71/2 before Kenya leg-spinner Collins Obuya then turned the match with a flurry of wickets, finishing with 5/24, in what turned out to be a match-defining spell.

Bangladesh v India: 2007

In 2007, a young Bangladesh team led by Habibul Bashat stunned Rahul Dravid's India to script one of the biggest wins in the country's cricketing history.

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza set the tone early when he rattled Virender Sehwag's stumps in the first over.

The momentum carried over for the rest of the innings for Bangladesh as India could only muster 192.

Three World Cup debutants, Tamim Iqbal (51), Mushfiqur Rahim (53) and Shakib Al Hasan (56) then came good with the bat and took Bangladesh home with five wickets in hand.

Ireland v England: 2011

England have been on the receiving end of several World Cup shocks over the years but their clash with rivals Ireland looked a formality at the end of the first innings.

A run-a-ball 92 to Jonathan Trott and quickfire fifties to Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell had put England in command with a total of 327.

The target looked well out of reach for Ireland when they slumped to 111/5 but an incredible 113 off 63 balls from Kevin O'Brien sealed a shock three-wicket win for Ireland.

Afghanistan v England: 2023

Defending champions England were expected to brush aside Afghanistan in Delhi, but instead, the Afghans sprung them a surprise.

Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed 80 from 57 balls and then Mujeeb Ur Rahman hit a crucial 28 late down the order to take the total to 284.

Mujeeb then claimed 3-51 in a player of the match performance as the Afghanistan spinners claimed eight of England's 10 wickets to fall in a 69-run victory.

Bangladesh will take on South Africa in their fifth World Cup fixture at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today. 

The match will start from 2.30pm.

The following is a statbox on Bangladesh-South Africa encounter:
 
***South Africa hold a significant advantage in matches won against Bangladesh as they have 18 wins to the Tigers' six in 24 meetings.

***In World Cups however, the two sides are at an even 2-2 tie, with Bangladesh handing out the latest blow with a 21-run win in the 2019 edition of the tournament. The Tigers' other win over the Proteas in the tournament came in 2007.

***Bangladesh have lost the only match they've played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, while South Africa have won two and lost three in five outings at the venue.

***Shakib Al Hasan has featured the most number of times in Bangladesh-South Africa encounters, having played in 17 of the 24 matches.

***Amongst active players, Shaib has taken the most wickets against South Africa with 16 scalps at an economy rate of 4.66, while South Africa's Kagiso Rabada tops the charts in Bangladesh-South Africa contests with 19 in 10 matches.

***Shakib also has scored the most runs by a Bangladesh batter against the Proteas as he has amassed 492 runs including five fifties, while South Africa opener Quinton de Kock's 428 runs at a strike-rate of 103.63 against the Tigers stands as the highest amongst active players for the Proteas.

***Najmul Hossain Shanto is 18 runs away from reaching 1000 runs in ODIs.

***Mehedi Hasan Miraz is four wickets short of scalping 100 wickets in the format.
 

The last time Dharamsala hosted a one-day international in 2017, India's mighty batting line-up was dismissed for a paltry 112 by Sri Lanka, but Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha expects the tracks at the venue to assist big totals in the World Cup.

India's fall was down to swinging and seaming conditions at the picturesque venue surrounded by snow-capped mountains, and Hathurusingha said before Bangladesh's game against Afghanistan on Saturday they will take a late call on their playing side.

"The wickets look really good for one-day cricket. I thought very firm wicket, nice covering of grass," Hathurusingha said in a press conference. "I think it's a really good sporting wicket.

"I'm expecting some high scoring on this ground. The combination we will decide tomorrow morning and see the wicket again, because the curator said he'll do a little bit of work today as well on that wicket."

Hathurusingha understands it is still early days in the showpiece tournament but said Bangladesh have set themselves the target of reaching the semi-finals and backed the team to achieve that goal.

The South Asian side's best performance in the World Cup was a quarter-final appearance in 2015 and reaching the Super Eights in 2007.

"Yeah, we all want to win the World Cup... if we win four-five games, we give ourselves a chance to get to the semi-final - that is our first aim," Hathurusingha said.

"I think we have a good enough team to do that."

Afghanistan lost to Bangladesh the last time the teams faced off in the Asia Cup last month, but skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi can draw confidence from a 2-1 series win over them earlier in the year.

"We've played a lot with each other," Shahidi said.

"Sometimes we won, sometimes they won. In the Asia Cup, they beat us in the last game that we played with them - but we are totally ready here.

"We have had meetings, we prepare ourselves and we know them very well, so we will play accordingly and we will try our best as a team to bounce back in this game against them."