"It is not a shock. It is reality": Bangladesh fan sets the record straight

OWEN RILEY AT THE OVAL: The Cricketer seeks out the fans' view at The Oval where Bangladesh and New Zealand are looking to make it two wins from two

Can you hear that?

It’s Dhaka’s drums beating, Chittagong’s fists thumping, The Oval’s foundations shaking to the rhythms of Bangladesh’s travelling band.

The noise has been steadily increasing from the early hours and by the time leather first meets a Bangladesh blade, it is deafening.

Every boundary is greeted with a supreme and infectious roar. Close your eyes and you are not in south London, you are transported to a shaking Sylhet, a cacophonous Chattogram. This is a home match.

Mashrafe Mortaza & Co came into this match on the back of an impressive win over South Africa at The Oval on Sunday.

Thinking of underestimating this side?

^{Mushfiqur Rahim}

Work your way between The Oval’s sun-bleached green seats, pick out any Bangladesh fan and they’ll put you right.

The Cricketer singles out one fan decked out head to toe in his nation’s colours - accompanied by a stuffed tiger, of course.

He is quick to reassure the world of one thing; the defeat of South Africa  "was not a shock." Not to those who follow this side far and wide.

"It. Was. Not. A. Shock."

If your stance is that the victory over Faf du Plessis’ team was an upset, that is the response you are likely (and rightly) to receive from any of the many, many fans within the walls of The Oval.

"We have been improving over the last couple of years. They [people] don’t try to understand," he continues.

"It is not a difficult job, it is a regular job for us right now"

"It is not a shock. It is reality. It’s not been an upset. We are improving, we can beat any team. It is not a shock.

"Our older players have been playing in this team a long time; Mushfiqur, Shakib, Mahmudulluh, Tamim. And they have a good relationship with the junior players as well. And they all respect Mashrafe."

Those four alone have 779 ODI caps between them. There’s nothing green about the spine of this unit.

And what of today’s opposition? The two sides last met in a major global tournament in 2017, back on English soil in the Champions Trophy.

After losing the opener to the hosts and having a no result against Australia, Bangladesh saw off New Zealand by five wickets at Cardiff.

The Tigers were 12 for 3 and 33 for 4, (chasing 266) before a record-breaking stand of 224 between Shakib Al Hasan (114) and Mahmudulluh (102*) - the highest for Bangladesh in ODIs - scripted one of the great turnarounds.

^{Bangladesh fans at The Oval}

Eight of the XI from that match are in the team today. Six remain for Kane Williamson’s side.

Mortaza’s men were well beaten by India in the semi-final at Edgbaston but they had left an indelible mark on the tournament’s fabric.

Here at The Oval, memories of that heroic effort are still strong and with its recollection the confidence of those in green and red swells.

"Obviously we can beat New Zealand. It is not a difficult job, it is a regular job for us right now."

Does that sound like a team to undervalue?

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