Bangladesh v New Zealand

At Cardiff, June 9. Bangladesh won by five wickets. Toss: New Zealand.
There have been many staging posts in the rise of Bangladesh cricket. A small but raucous crowd in Cardiff witnessed another, as Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah authored a remarkable recovery from 33 for four to eliminate New Zealand, and take their side to the verge of the semi-finals of an ICC global event for the first time. Initially their sweet strokes felt futile, after Southee's alluring late swing had decapitated the reply. But, almost imperceptibly, Bangladesh gained parity, then the ascendancy.

As the swing stopped, New Zealand looked bereft of ideas, while the batsmen mixed the sumptuous - Shakib repeatedly charged down the wicket to scythe Southee through the off side - with the sensible. The target of 266 loomed into view, and so did thoughts of previous Bangladesh narrow misses. This, though, was a different team. Shakib moved to his seventh one-day international century by pulling Milne for six and, by the time he fell four balls later, the pair had added 224, Bangladesh's first double-century stand for any wicket. Three balls after that, Mahmudullah brought up his own hundred, his third, with a boundary off Boult, and celebrated with the sajdah.

New Zealand were left to rue their third successive collapse. They had cleared 150 in the 30th over for the loss of only two wickets, then stumbled - again - after Williamson was run out, for the third time in four one-day innings. But he was not the problem: only 62 came from the final ten overs, which included three wickets for Mosaddek Hossain's auxiliary off-spin. New Zealand's bowling proved equally lop-sided. Bangladesh now just had to sit and wait: a semi-final place would be theirs if Australia failed to beat England at Edgbaston.
Man of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan