Day 20: Tight finish for Bangladesh against Scotland
It was a high-scoring game in Nelson, New Zealand.
AFTER defeating Scotland in a run chase that was probably tighter than they would have liked, Bangladesh are now nicely positioned to have a serious crack at qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Kyle Coetzer made 156 for the Scots but it was in vain. His name may sound very South African but he is Scottish through and through.
Scotland made 318/8 which Bangladesh chased down with six wickets and 11 balls to spare.
Tamim Iqbal made 95, which is the highest score of any Bangladeshi player in a World Cup game.
Bangladesh now need to beat either England (possible) or New Zealand (not going to happen) in their last two pool games.
If this were to happen, it could mean good news for South Africa if: West Indies beat India (you never know with the Windies) and South Africa beat Pakistan (probable).
Added to this is the assumption that Australia will beat Sri Lanka, which could mean that South Africa would play Bangladesh in the quarter-finals.
Actually, if Sri Lanka beat Australia, it may suit South Africa even better, as, if the Aussies finish A3 and SA B1, then we won’t be on the same side of the draw and could only meet in the final.
But the most likely option is that Australia and SA will both qualify in second position, meaning we’re on the same side of the draw anyway.
What we don’t want is for SA to qualify B2 and Australia A3. That would mean a quarter-final showdown. Not what the tournament wants.
To make it simpler, it looks like this:
A1 vs B4
A3 vs B2
A2 vs B3
A4 vs B1
In theory then,
A1 vs B2
A2 vs B1
And so it goes…
But upsets are likely.
