Bangladesh seek an upset win in group matches by AFP

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Event:

ICC World Cup 2006/07

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DateLine: 13th March 2007

 

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar says an upset victory over New Zealand in a recent warm-up match has boosted his team's confidence ahead of the World Cup.

 

"The boys are confident after that match and we are hoping to provide more upsets along the way," Bashar said here on Tuesday.

 

Bangladesh pulled off the only stunning victory of the warm-up games last weak when they beat Stephen Fleming's Black Caps by two wickets at Bridgetown in Barbados.

 

They maintained their clean record by hammering non-Test-playing nation Scotland in the second and final practice match, with Bashar leading the way with an unbeaten half-century.

 

Bangladesh open their Cup campaign against 1983 champions India at the Queen's Park Oval here on Saturday. Other teams in Group B are 1996 winners Sri Lanka and debutants Bermuda.

 

The top two sides will qualify for the next Super Eight stage.

 

Bangladesh have defeated both India and Sri Lanka in one-day internationals, but just once. They lacked consistency to beat big sides on regular basis in the past.

 

Bashar said his team had been looking forward to playing competitive cricket against India and Sri Lanka and hoping to beat one of them to boost chances of qualifying for the next round.

 

"We have two tough sides in India and Sri Lanka in our group, but we are confident. We are looking to get a win against at least one of them," said the Bangladeshi skipper.

 

"We have been prepararing for this tournament for quite a while and we are here to play good cricket."

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)