'Win over big teams such as SA shouldn't be seen as a surprise'

Considered underdogs for a long time Bangladesh have the strength to get the better off big teams and his sides 21run win over South Africa in the World Cup should not be seen as a surprise anymore believes skipper Mashrafe MortazaBangladesh started their World Cup campaign on a perfect note posting their highest oneday international score of 330 on the back of half centuries by Shakib Al Hasan 75 and Mushifiqur Rahim 78Sublime bowling performances by Mustafizur Rahman 367 and Mohammad Saifuddin 257 then helped them beat World No 3 South Africa at the Oval on SundayAsked if this was a sign of Bangladeshs development the skipper replied Do you think this was a surprise If we can deliver our best we knew what we could doIm sure some people dont think well of our cricket We are concentrating on our game and let other people talkExperienced allrounder Shakib said expectations from the Bangladesh team have changed since their triumphs over India and South Africa in the 2007 editionIts been 12 years so our cricket has come a long way forward At that time if we play well that was good enough for the crowd and for us But now they are not satisfied with defeat to any other team This is the expectation level weve got in these 12 years Shakib saidWe prepared ourselves well We were in Ireland where we played really well against West Indies and Ireland That gave us a lot of confidence and beliefThere are so many things to prove in this tournament and we were upto the challenge The boys were confident but at the same time we were relaxed We knew we have the skill to beat big teamsMortaza also hailed his teams allround show against South AfricaWe played so well especially being in England Its not easy for us in the conditions which dont favour us in the way they do at home Mortaza said after the winI thought it was one of our best performances and we love to play the way we played in this game Im sure that it wont happen every day but that is the ideaBangladesh have landed in the UK with a blend of experience and new playersWhile the likes of Mashrafe Shakib Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur featured in the sides 2007 World Cup victory against South Africa youngsters like Soumya Sarkar who smashed 42off 30 balls provide new dimension to the teamWe have a heavy batting lineup You look at the experience I have Tamim opening and Shakib batting at three Mushfiqur comes back at four Soumya hes coming out with something out of the boxMortaza was also lavish in his praise for allrounder ShakibShakib has got the experience and makes sure that in the top order hes more responsible and he can hold all the pressure to deliver at his best Hes exactly spot on and performed so well for the team Mortaza saidBangladesh cricket has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 56 years and the team is now consistently winning against the top teams However not much experience in the business end of World Cup tournaments will put them on slippery foot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019Catch up on all the latest IPL News and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates