Shakib tops World Cup run chart against Afghanistan

SOUTHAMPTON: Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan became the leading run scorer in this year’s World Cup so far as his side reached 262-7 in Monday’s match against minnows Afghanistan.

Shakib’s 51 took him to 476 runs in the tournament, while Mushfiqur Rahim top-scored in Bangladesh’s 50 overs with an 87-ball 83 in Southampton.

Victory for Bangladesh would move them into fifth place in the 10-team table. That would leave Bangladesh within one point of fourth placed England, who play Australia on Tuesday, as the race hots up to qualify for the semi-finals via a top four finish.

Afghanistan became the first team to be eliminated after an agonising 11-run loss against India on Saturday, when Mohammed Shami’s final-over hat-trick denied them a famous upset. Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib won the toss and elected to bowl first after the start of play was delayed 10 minutes by light rain.

Liton Das was promoted ahead of Soumya Sarkar to open along with Tamim Iqbal for Bangladesh, with the pair managing a brisk 23 from the first four overs. But Liton fell for 16 in the next over after being fooled into a miscued drive by spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who finished with impressive figures of 3-39.

That brought Shakib to the crease and he upped the tempo even further with some aggressive hitting that maintained his fine World Cup form. When Shakib, who has two centuries already in the tournament, pulled Naib to the boundary, it moved him above Australia’s David Warner’s 447 runs as the leading scorer in this year’s event.

Tamim and Shakib put on their fourth successive fifty partnership in one-day internationals. But having been hit for a boundary the ball before, Mohammad Nabi responded with a flighted turner that bowled Tamim for 36.

Shakib survived an lbw review off Afghanistan’s star leg-spinner Rashid Khan when he had made 27. Bolstered by that escape, Shakib went on to become only the second player to hit six consecutive 40-plus scores in a World Cup.

Not long after that milestone, Shakib brought up his half-century in 66 balls — his fifth score of 50 or more in this tournament — to huge cheers from the Bangladesh fans

who made up the majority of the crowd.

Shakib was unable to turn his solid start into another century however, with Rahman pinning him lbw to leave Bangladesh on 143-3 in the 30th over. Rahman was in the groove and 18-year-old spinner removed Soumya for three with another teasing delivery.

Afghanistan’s spinners had Bangladesh trapped in their web and 12 overs went by without a boundary. Mushfiqur tried to turn the tide as he heaved a six to bring up his fifty off 56 balls. He eventually fell to Dawlat Zadran in the penultimate over after guiding Bangladesh to a respectable score.