Propelled by handsome fifties by Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib al Hasan and some pinch hitting by the lower middle order, Bangladesh scored 330 runs athe loss of six wickets against South Africa, in their tournament opener at the ICC World Cup 2019, on Sunday, 2 June.
This is now Bangladesh’s highest ever team total in One Day Internationals, eclipsing their previous best of 329/6, which they scored against Pakistan at Dhaka in 2015.
During the innings, when Bangladesh went past 322, they also surpassed their highest score at the World Cup, which they had scored against Scotland in the 2015 edition of the tournament.
Bangladesh got off to a flying start with openers Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar adding 60 runs. They carried on with the momentum as Rahim and Shakib stitched a 142-run partnership for the third wicket.
The finishing touches were given by Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain, who upped the ante in the slog overs.
The Shakib - Mushfiqur partnership is now the highest ever for any wicket for Bangladesh in a World Cup match, bettering the previous best of 141 between Rahim and Mahmudullah, which they had put together against England in 2015.
Rahim, Shakib: Men for All Seasons
Interestingly, when Bangladesh scored 329 against Pakistan in 2015, Rahim scored a 77-ball 106, while Shakib chipped in with a handy 31.
Against Scotland, in World Cup 2015, when Bangladesh scored 322, the duo was once again in play as Shakib and Rahim scored 52 and 42 respectively, in quick time.
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