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Following Bangladesh's 84-run triumph over Papua New Guinea (PNG) on October 21, skipper Mahmudullah lashed out at critics who criticized Bangladesh players on social media after their shock defeat to Scotland in their campaign opener.
Bangladesh were the favourites to top Group B, but the Tigers were defeated by Scotland by 6 runs. After tournament's first upset, the pressure was on Mahmudullah's team. However, Mahmudullah's team did not let it affect their World Cup chances and brought their A-game to the fore with two comfortable wins against Oman and PNG to qualify for the Super 12 stage.
“Everyone has social media on their phone. We expect criticism when it is warranted, but if that is belittling, we feel bad,” Mahmudullah said in the post-match press conference.
“We are human beings and we also make mistakes. When we play, the whole country plays together. I don’t think anyone has more feelings for it than us. We played bad and we knew that we would receive criticism. We all were hurt by it,” the 35-year-old added.
Big win over PNG
Mahmudullah and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan were the Tigers' stars in a must-win encounter against PNG. Bangladesh posted a tough total of 181/7 in their 20-overs with the help of Mahmudullah's quickfire half-century off 28 balls and Shakib Al Hasan's 46-run knock followed by cameos in death overs.
Chasing a big total, an inexperienced PNG were bowled out for 97 runs. Shakib continued his hot streak with the ball and took four wickets for just nine runs. The veteran all-rounder was named named Player of the Match for his outstanding all-round performance.
Super 12’s Group 1
After finishing second in Group B of round 1, Bangladesh have entered the Group 1 of Super 12 which is also termed as ‘group of death’. The Tigers are placed alongside Australia, England, South Africa and defending champions West Indies in the group. Sri Lanka are likely to be the sixth team in the group after the conclusion of Group A matches on October 22. Bangladesh will start their Super 12 campaign against the top team from Group A.
