Sports Reporter :
Bangladesh’s long-time dream for playing the semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy has come true as the country became runners-up in the Group-A.
Bangladesh team, for the first time in the history, qualified for the semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy.
The semifinal is scheduled to be held at Edgbaston, Birmingham in London on June 15. However, which team from Group-B will play against the Bangladesh team is yet to be known.
The final match is due at Kennington Oval on June 18.
Bangladesh team qualified for the semifinal as England team on Saturday beat Australia team by 40 runs D/L method.
Bangladeshi people at home and abroad on Saturday night were supporting the England team as they aspired the giant Australia’s defeat and at last their dream came true. And now the country’s cricket fans are eagerly waiting to watch the semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy.
Being confirmed that the Bangladesh would play into the semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy, lakhs of fans cheered and waved flags at different places of the country including capital Dhaka on Saturday night.
The crazy fans stayed awake till Saturday mid night to know about the results between England and Australia match.
Thousands of cricket fans of all ages came out of their homes and gathered on the streets of the capital on the late night cheering.
Bangladesh cricket fans, many decked in tigers jersey, blowing whistles, playing the drums, weaving flags or whatever they could find, they expressed their joy of Bangladesh’s qualified for the semifinal throughout the country.
“We believe that Bangladesh will win the ICC Champions Trophy. The players of Bangladesh are a very high quality, so I don’t have to say more. I am a Bangladesh fan and I am thrilled,” said a middle-aged man on Sunday. Bangladesh lost their first match in the ICC Champions Trophy of the Group A against England by 8 wickets at the Oval and the rain forced to abandon the match between they and Australia with no-result.
When Bangladesh obtaining with one point got frustrated, a magnificent batting display from Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad gave them a famous win against New Zealand in a thrilling in Cardiff, keeping their team alive in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Tigers have played a total of 11 matches in the ICC Champions Trophy and secured two victory-one in 2006 edition over Zimbabwe and second in 2017 over New Zealand. Bangladesh are competing in the tournament for the first time since 2006, after failing to qualify for the previous two editions in 2009 and 2013 because of its low ranking.
Bangladesh’s first experience of the event came in the second edition, in Nairobi in 2000, but the team returned home empty-handed in terms of results.
The story remained the same in the 2002 and 2004 editions before they recorded first victory, against Zimbabwe in 2006. That game also remains its last Champions Trophy fixture till date.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza requested the fans not to be exited, saying hope for the best. “Being freed from under tremendous pressure, we want to play the semifinal. So that I’m requesting all of you (fans) not be exited. And we shouldn’t think that we won the ICC Champions Trophy,” he told journalists at the team hotel in Cardiff on Saturday night.
He said as everything goes through a process, Bangladesh also want to follow it.
“It will be big match for our cricket. It is also an opportunity for us. If everything goes well and good, Inshallah we could do well in the semi,” the Tigers’ leader said, adding Champions Trophy is more challenging than the World Cup. He said everyone has contribution to reach Bangladesh in this stage.
Bangladesh team were scheduled to arrive Birmingham on Sunday and will have also practice session on Tuesday.
