London: Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza was all praises for his team after their emphatic win over Faf du Plessis-led South Africa by 21 runs in their World Cup tie at the Oval on Sunday.
"The first match always sets the tone. We have been positive, won in Ireland and the momentum helped us set the tone here," said Mortaza at the post-match presentation ceremony.
A wonderful batting display led by the experienced duo of Shakib Al Hasan (75) and Mushfiqur Rahim (78), supported by eye-catching cameos from Soumya Sarkar (42) and Mahmudullah (46), helped Bangladesh post 330/6 after being asked to bat by South Africa captain Faf du Plessis. The bowlers then struck regularly to keep South Africa to 309/8.
"After the toss, I had a doubt whether to bat or to bowl first. But it was a used wicket in the last match and we thought that batting first isn't a bad option," said the Bangladesh skipper.
"The batsmen batted really well, especially Soumya (Sarkar) at the start. Mushy (Rahim) batted really well; he plays these kind of innings with high strike-rates, so did Shakib and then Mahmudullah and Mosaddek finished it really well. But I have to give credit to Soumya for laying the platform. I knew it was a good wicket to bat on and we knew that we had to bowl in the right areas to get wickets," he added.