Shakib's heroics bring back memories of Martin Crowe and the 1992 World Cup

On July 2, not only did India defeat Bangladesh to book a slot in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals, but also virtually ended their eastern neighbour's hopes of making it to a level of world cricket they had never reached.

For weeks, Bangladesh's hopes have been riding on their former skipper Shakib Al Hasan. At Birmingham, Shakib's knock of 74-ball 66 went in vain.

Shakib has been an important member of the Bangladeshi cricket team for the past 13 years.

Earlier in the day, Shakib had picked Rishabh Pant's crucial wicket and gave away just 41 runs in his 10 overs. In the second inning, Bangladesh’s hopes of remaining in contention for the semi-finals were alive as long as Shakib was at the crease.

The Bangladeshi vice-captain has had a great tournament. In the seven matches Bangladesh has played in this World Cup so far, Shakib has scored 542 runs. This makes him the second highest run-scorer, two runs behind Rohit Sharma. His last seven scores leading up to the 66 against India were -- 75, 64, 121, 124 (not out), 41 and 51. He averages 90.33 in this edition of cricket’s flagship event.

He has also picked up 11 wickets with a bowling economy of 5.34, making him one of the top performing bowlers in the tournament.

These numbers have propelled Bangladesh’s chances in the tournament. Shakib's unbeaten 124 powered Bangladesh during their successful chase of 322 against the West Indies. It was Shakib’s 5-29 that give Bangladesh an easy win over Afghanistan.

To be sure, Shakib has been assisted with notable performance from Mushfiqur Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman, among others.

He has also achieved a rare feat, becoming the first player to score over 500 runs and pick more than 10 wickets in a single world cup edition. His performance with the bat and the ball has made him one of the best performing all-rounder of the tournament.

His steady 75-run knock also contributed to Bangladesh scaling 330 against South Africa.

To some, Shakib's heroics brought back memories of Martin Crowe's performance at the 1992 World Cup.

Crowe, who represented New Zealand between 1985 and 1995, has often been regarded as the country’s "best batsman".

He played 77 Tests, in which he scored 5,444 runs at an average of 45.36. He scored 17 centuries in the format, the most by a New Zealand cricketer. He scored 299 against Sri Lanka in 1991, which stood as a national record until Brendon McCullum scored 302 against India in February 2014.

Crowe played 143 One Day Internationals (ODIs) in which he scored 4,704 runs at an average of 38.55, with four hundreds and 34 half-centuries.

The format of the 1992 World Cup was similar to that being followed in 2019. In nine matches, Crowe scored 456 runs -- finishing ahead of Pakistan's Javed Miandad and South Africa's Peter Kirsten as the tournament;s highest run scorer. He was also named the 'Player of the Tournament'.

His unbeaten century in the opening match against Australia set the tone for the tournament.

Under his captaincy, New Zealand topped the table, losing just one match in the group stage. With Australia having been knocked out early, ‘Blackcaps’ where considered favourites to lift the trophy. New Zealand’s performance in the 1992 world cup has hardly been overshadowed.

In the semi-final against Pakistan, Crowe was run out on 91. New Zealand managed to set a target of 263. In the second innings, Crowe handed over the captaincy to John Wright, citing an injury. Inzamam-ul-Haq then fired Pakistan into the final with a 37-ball 60. Crowe blamed himself for the debacle.

In an article written for ESPNCricinfo in 2014, Crowe said: “In very dark times I blamed others, like John Wright, and I felt guilty at having done so. In truth, I simply blamed myself. It was the one real chance for glory for my country, to lift the World Cup, and I was beside myself that I had misjudged the moment, under the West Stand at Eden Park that day.”

Crowe was suffering from lymphoma when he wrote the article.

In 2015, on the sidelines of the New Zealand vs Australia World Cup match at Eden Park, Crowe was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Incidentally, it was in this World Cup that New Zealand reached the final – 23 years after Crowe & Co.'s failed attempt.