Pressure on Shakib eased by Mahmudullah in record stand

Shakib Al Hasan says Mahmudullah’s batting took a lot of pressure off him, allowing them to forge a record Bangladesh partnership against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy.

Their 224-run fifth-wicket stand handed the Tigers’ a remarkable 5-wicket win in their last Group A tie on Friday.

Chasing 266 to win, Bangladesh were tottering on 33 for 4 when the pair got together in the middle.

The partnership saw its century in 107 balls before the 200 came in 204 balls, recording Bangladesh’s first double century stand in ODIs.

It was also the second-highest partnership in Champions Trophy’s history.

Bangladesh’s previous best stand was Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim’s 178 for the third wicket against Pakistan in 2015.

When Shakib went in on Friday Bangladesh were 12 for 3 in the fifth over. With the target still in excess of 250 runs, he planned to spend a lot of time at the wicket.

“The idea was to bat as long as possible. We still had many overs to play. Nowadays I don’t get many overs to bat. So I wanted to bat as much as possible,” Shakib said.

“Riyad [Mahmudullah] came and batted really well. He took the pressure off me.”

The pair batted together for a ball shy of 35 overs and brought Bangladesh close to the coast with a century each. Shakib made 114 before getting out while Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on 102.

“Some of us have been playing together for a long time. I have many good partnerships with Tamim, Mushfiqur [Rahim] and also with Riyad,” he added.

“We have also been batting in positions side-by-side, so we had a lot of opportunities to build partnerships. So the understanding is good, realising what the other is trying to do.”

The brilliant win on a big stage has surely delighted Bangladesh fans, but earning a spot in the semis for the men in red and green still hinges on an England win over Australia in the last tie of the group.