Everyone, including myself, thought it quite a surprise that Bangladesh made it through to the quarterfinals. Even though they did not win their match against New Zealand, their performance was no less than any top team in the world. They were on the field with a purpose. They wanted to prove they deserved their place in the quarters and they did exactly that. The Kiwis who are probably the favourites to win the World Cup found themselves in a bit of a worry against Bangladesh. The loss would not have changed much for the black caps but it would have really flipped the situation for India. It's confirmed now that India will play Bangladesh in the next round. However, if the Bangladeshi team won yesterday, India would have played Sri Lanka which would have been more than what they bargained for. They can take a long deep breath of relief that the kiwis pulled through at the end. The Bangladeshis have suddenly upped their game beating England and then almost defeating New Zealand as well. For the first time I'm sure people now might just have some hopes attached to the Bengali team with their match against India. After saying all of that still it will be quite a long shot for them to make it to the semi finals.
–Shaan Tahir
shantahir@gmail.com