Fearless Mahmudullah stands up against mighty Kiwis.

New Zealand's pacers were on a rampage. Bangladesh had lost both their openers early and Trent Boult had his tail up. In walks Mahmudullah - centurion in the previous game - but made to look out of sorts for the first few balls he faced. He was almost caught off the first ball he faced and then put down soon after at slip. Brendon McCullum was thinking only wickets and an opportunity arose. Mahmudullah was fortunate but only the best make good use of it. He got going with a couple of sparkling drives and stitched together an important stand with Soumya Sarkar. The duo counter-attacked fearlessly and Mahmudullah was in the thick of it even after Sarkar departed. He carted Boult for three fours in an over and forced him to be taken off the attack. New Zealand, who had bowled out oppositions for less than 186 four times previously, were suddenly under pressure and made to look for answers. Even as McCullum reacted slowly, Mahmudullah gathered pace and raced off to a ton off 108 balls. He was not done though. With Bangladesh needing quick runs in the death overs, Mahmudullah obliged with a flurry of boundaries and eventually helped Bangladesh post a fat total of 288.
Finally someone had stood up against New Zealand's bullying pacers in World Cup 2015 and Mahmudullah has shown that the Kiwi attack has its own chinks despite their obvious class. This ton will rank amongst the best in World Cups for the sheer audacity of the knock against a quality attack under pressure.