ICC World Cup 2019 | I’m very proud of the way Bangladesh has played, exclaims Steve Rhodes

Though this might not be Bangladesh’s best ever finish in a World Cup having reached the quarterfinals in the last edition, it has been no less impressive and full of magical moments. Be it the incredible form of Shakib Al Hasan or the determination to not give up until the last wicket, the world got to witness a team with the potential to make it big. Having, more often than not, entered such tournaments as minnows, the Tigers showed the hunger this time around to go all the way and have left a huge impact on the global stage.

The team registered notable victories against South Africa and West Indies, while also winning against continental rivals Afghanistan. Rarely did it happen that they were trampled over and managed to give a close fight to the higher ranked teams. The spirit of the team has certainly been celebrated around the globe and has seen them become fan favourites.

The loss to India, however, meant Bangladesh has been eliminated from the top four race. They will end their campaign against Pakistan at Lord’s on Friday. While they have nothing but pride to play for, Pakistan will be fighting for a semi’s birth. They have been on a winning streak of late with three consecutive wins but Bangladesh will be no cakewalk for them. The last time the two teams faced, Bangladesh had won by 38 runs in the Asia Cup last year.

“I’m really looking forward to that game. I think we beat them in the Asia Cup, and they’ll want to change that. We showed in some of the games we played this year that we’re going to be a difficult side for Pakistan to beat. We know we’ll have to play well again because they’ve run into a little bit of form in the back end of the tournament. But we’re confident,” Rhodes concluded.