Cheery news

AT a time when no news in the country is good news, Bangladesh's first win in the World Cup against Afghanistan, though expected, has given the cricket-crazy people of Bangladesh a much-needed cause for celebration. In tune with the rest of the country, we wholeheartedly congratulate the Tigers for a solid performance, resulting in a whopping 105-run victory. 

Despite a slow and shaky beginning, with our top order batsmen struggling to cope with the Afghan pace, we managed to put up a competitive score on the board, thanks to a sound execution from the middle order and a critical partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. But it was really our bowlers who seized the day, with an incredible opening spell from Mashrafee Mortaza and Rubel Hossain. 

Shakib, in top form with 63 runs and 2 wickets, became the first Bangladeshi to score 4,000 runs in one-day internationals. We commend him for his all-round consistent performances and hope that he inspires the whole team to perform to their best potential .  

However, as we prepare to take on the mighty Australia tomorrow, we cannot afford to be complacent about our first win. Consistency has always been a sore point for Bangladesh, so, win or lose, the team must make it a point to keep a calm head, play with humility and give a steady performance. After all, the emotions of a whole nation now rest on their performance. 

Go Tigers!