Bangladeshis celebrate historic win

Dhaka: Thousands of ecstatic Bangladeshi cricket fans poured onto the streets of capital Dhaka on Saturday night as their national team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in cricketing history by beating Australia by five wickets in Cardiff, England. "Bangladesh, Bangladesh; Ashraful, Ashraful" the fans shouted, parading on the streets waving green and red Bangladeshi flags late into the night. Mohammad Ashraful, 20, became only the second Bangladeshi player to hit a one-day century when he hit his maiden hundred off 101 balls with 11 boundaries. His previous ODI best was 66. At 17, Ashraful became the youngest player to hit a century on his Test debut, against Sri Lanka in 2001. Millions of Bangladeshis stayed glued to their television sets as the final overs of the match played out late today half way across the world at Cardiff's Sophia Gardens. Some shut their eyes, while others watched in total silence as the No. 7 batsman Mohammad Rafique hit the winning run with four balls remaining. Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia also congratulated the winning team, wishing that the "Tigers" will keep up the winning streak in future matches. Bangladesh has only won nine out of 107 one-day internationals it has previously played. It lost all six previous ODIs against Australia. (AP)