With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 entering its third week, equations have started changing, thanks to some strong performances, a few upsets, and also some heartbreaks. Bangladesh chased down a massive 322-run target against Windies on Shakib Al Hasan's century. Later, they repeated the show against Australia, even more emphatically, but fell short of the target by 49 runs.
England scored a mountain of runs against Afghanistan — only three runs shy of the 400-mark — and won easily. But the same side failed to chase a not-so-great target of 233 runs against Sri Lanka, as Lasith Malinga scalped four wickets.
Surprisingly, a formidable Indian batting line-up, with greats like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and M S Dhoni faced a reality check, with minnows Afghanistan first restricting them to just 224 runs and then nearly chasing the target. If India were able to save their blushes, they had Jasprit Bumrah’s precision and Mohammed Shami’s last-minute havoc to thank for it.
Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson calmly took his team to victory in crucial matches against South Africa and West Indies, with a century in each match. And, Pakistan got back to winning ways by defeating South Africa on the back of Mohammad Amir's heroics.
And then, there was a heartbreaking image whose memory will endure for a long time: A distraught Carlos Brathwaite sitting on ground, almost in tears, after nearly taking West Indies past the target against New Zealand. Windies lost the thriller by just 5 runs
Let’s take a look at all this, and what more to expect as the contest intensifies in this BS podcast. Follow the BS on Ground channel on Google Podcast, Apple Podcasts and Spotify for more from the world of sports.