June 19, 2005

The Tigers roar! Jubilant crowds spilled onto the streets of Dhaka in celebration of one of the most amazing upsets in the lengthy annals of international cricket. Rank outsiders Bangladesh beat world champions and highest rated ODI team of all time, Australia.

Over 100 points behind the Aussies in the rankings and with their status as an international side in question, the Tigers vindicated themselves in stunning fashion thanks in large part to a masterful century off just 100 balls by wayward hero Mohammad Ashraful. Bangladeshi opposition leader Sheikh Hasina was apparently so delighted she felicitated the victory! Who says the romance (or better) of sport is dead?

posted by Abiezer_Coppe 19 years ago
  • Hokay, I'll, uh, bite. Is this about eating crickets? Crickets, well prepared, are not half bad, but I can't imagine a competition to eat them.
  • I've always wanted to understand cricket (not the bugs, you heathen) but have never seen an explanation that helped. (US centric.)
  • Orococo: I can't tell if you're joking or not, but if you're not, I totally want to give you a noogie. ... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGIEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I'm Indian, I'm allowed. Cricket's just what we do.
  • This is great! Well done brave Bangladesh!
  • Noogies, well prepared, aren't half bad, but we were talking about crickets.
  • It's a damn one-day game. An upset doesn't mean shit. The game came down to the wire, and they got lucky. A fluke. There's a reason why purists consider a Test Match as the true err, test. For all you dumb Yankees (I kid, I kid), here you go.
  • Bit odd of Ponting to bat first on such a slow pitch though Gyan? So I wouldn't put it down to just luck. And surely there are omininous signs that age might be catching up with this great side at last, especially in their fielding - Ashraful was dropped on 54 I think. Not a Test I know, but when the highest ranked side of all time gets beaten by the worst you can't say it's not an upset of David and Goliath proportions.
  • From Gyan's link ... (which is to the absolutely proper and best cricket site) You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side thats been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!
  • Bangladesh winning would have been about the only thing to make that game interesting.
  • Not a Test I know, but when the highest ranked side of all time gets beaten by the worst you can't say it's not an upset of David and Goliath proportions. Kenya did the same to WI in WC 96. In fact, Bangladesh upset Pakistan a few years ago. Didn't prove anything in the long run. Zimbabwe used to produce the occasional upset. They are still a 2nd rate team.
  • This is the best way to learn about cricket - play online.
  • They are still a 2nd rate team. Kicking half the guys out because they were white didn't help matters much.
  • Funnily enough it was in part the long run I was thinking of Gyan, and why I don't agree with the calls to downgrade the Bangladeshi's status. They certainly still are second rate, but unlike Kenya and other past surprise one day winners like Canada (even!) they seem to have the widespread grassroots enthusiasm (and whacking big population) to go on to be contenders. Keeping playing the better sides will encourage that, as of course will results like this.
  • Football is also popular in Bangladesh. If the overall performance of the team remains as it is currently, that enthusiasm will shift elsewhere. Bangladesh is an OK team. By hook or crook, they need to improve in the next couple of years.
  • Yay Bangladesh. The Aussie team are a bunch of utter wankers, for the mostpart.
  • Am I the only one who read it as the opposition leader fellating the victory? That would be a real indication of national pride, I'd say.
  • The match even had offield drama with Andrew Symonds staying out on the piss till 4.30am and then turning up still drunk and struggling through the warm up.