World Cup: Bangladesh pacers show that they need to be respected, says Mortaza

Jubilant Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza hoped Monday’s stunning 15-run win over England that earned his side a quarter-final berth in the World Cup, will give a fillip to cricket back home. Mohammad Mahmudullah became the first Bangladesh batsman to score a World Cup century as the Tigers piled up 275 for seven and then bundled England out for 260 in the penultimate over. The win ensured a top four finish for Bangladesh in Pool A and knocked England out of the race for the quarter-finals. [caption id=“attachment_2144049” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mortaza (R) said he was worried when England’s lower order fought back through Jos Buttler, but said that was part of the game. AFP[/caption] Mortaza hoped his seamers will be taken seriously after this match, following a four-wicket haul for Rubel Hossain and two wickets each for Taskin Ahmed and himself. “I am sorry to say people talk rubbish about our pace bowling,” he said. “They think only our spinners are good. But hopefully the quicks will now get respect and perform better in every game.” “This is a very significant win for us,” said Mortaza, who braved pain in his injury-prone legs to lead his side from the front. “I know people back home and our fans expected us to progress in the tournament, but we know how difficult it is to win in Australia because we have not played here much.” The World Cup has seen Bangladesh playing matches in Melbourne and Adelaide for the first time because they had been confined to Cairns and Darwin on previous tours of the country. “It was not easy to adjust to these grounds, but the boys worked really hard and I am really grateful and must thank the players and the support staff for the fine job so far. “This was a great win, a great boost for us. In the past we have been accused of being inconsistent, but we have played well all through this tournament and hopefully we will keep going.” This was Bangladesh’s third win over England in their last four one-day internationals, including the two-wicket success in Chittagong during the previous World Cup four years ago. Victory meant Bangladesh assured themselves of a place in the knockout phase even before their last pool match against co-hosts New Zealand on Friday. It was only the second time in five attempts they have moved beyond the first round, with the Tigers stunning India to move to the round-robin Super Eights at the 2007 edition in the Caribbean. Bangladesh are likely to face defending champions India in the quarter-final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 19. Mortaza said he was worried when England’s lower order fought back through Jos Buttler, but said that was part of the game. “It was a bit frustrating when it was getting close, but such things happen in cricket. At the end of the day we won so everything is okay.” Ian Bell made 63 but England slipped to 163 for six before Buttler (65 off 52 balls) and Chris Woakes (42 not out) briefly revived their hoped with a 75-run stand for the seventh wicket. But the dismissals of Buttler and Chris Jordan off successive balls in the 46th over turned the match Bangladesh’s way. AFP