Bangladesh played to potential: Aminul Islam

Adelaide: Former Bangladesh captain Aminul Islam said on Tuesday the team winning against England without the likes of opener Tamim Iqbal and veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan firing speak volumes of the other players in the outfit.

On Monday, Bangladesh knocked England out of the World Cup as they beat the Three Lions by 15 runs to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.

“Bangladesh’s certainly have (played to potential) and considering they won the game with neither Tamim nor Shakib contributing with the bats, shows that they have a lot to offer,” Islam wrote in a column for the International Cricket Council (ICC) website.

Islam also credited their middle-order bat Mohammad Mahmudullah who scored 103 runs to post a formidable 275 for seven, saying his first ton was well deserved.

“Mahmudullah has been very consistent and successful at No.4 with a solid technique and good temperament. Sometimes he forgets to move his feet when driving to the off but he has good shot selection and his first century was much deserved,” the former batsman said.

The 47-year-old, who captained Bangladesh in the 1999 edition of the event added that skipper Mashrafe Mortaza handled his bowlers very well, and the Moeen Ali run-out made the ‘Tigers’ believe they could win.

"I thought Mashrafe Mortaza handled the Bangladesh attack very well with some bowling changes that paid off. Mashrafe’s use of Shakib and his performance always kept England in check."

"It's always a good sign of team spirit when run-outs happen and Moeen Ali's gifting away of his wicket to a needless run-out really got Bangladesh believing they could win," he said.