A placard reading "We love you Miraz" held by a Bangladesh fan in the stands of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium yesterday reflected the trust the all-rounder has gained in recent times.

South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by 102 runs at the Cricket World Cup on Saturday after posting the highest total in the history of the tournament of 428-5.

The last time Bangladesh played in Dharamshala was back in 2016 during the ICC T20 World Cup. In that match against Oman, Tamim Iqbal made history by becoming the first Bangladeshi to score a century in the format. Even though Tamim is not a part of this World Cup campaign but, thanks to the fans, his presence was felt at the picturesque Dharamshala stadium during Bangladesh’s match yesterday. A number of Bangladesh supporters in the gallery were seen holding up a placard written, ‘We will never forget you’ with Tamim’s picture, reminiscing the contributions of the former Bangladesh captain.

A placard saying ‘We love you Miraz’ held by a Bangladesh supporter at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday reflected the amount of trust and reliability that all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz has been able to gain in recent times.

As for his batting, he said: "I always play at number eight so it was a great opportunity to bat in the top order...it's a great moment for me to perform."

This was Afghanistan's 13th successive defeat at the World Cup, a run stretching back to 2015.

South Africa batters belted the Sri Lankan bowlers all around the park in their opening World Cup fixture at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday.

South Africa batter Aiden Markram smashed the fastest century in World Cup history in their opening fixture against Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday.

Bangladesh ODI skipper Shakib Al Hasan said he is certain that his fast bowlers will have a lot to say going forward in the tournament after Bangladesh got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start with a six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Dharamshala on Saturday.

Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha did not have to address questions about the creaky batting unit, which has recently blown hot and cold.

Both sides would love early points and Afghanistan’s spin threat may once again dictate Bangladesh’s batting template.

"Theekshana is still recovering from a hamstring injury, so he won't be available for this game," Silverwood told reporters on Friday.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) extended its best wishes to the Bangladesh cricket team on Friday on the eve of their opening match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 against Afghanistan.

Afghanistan have won just one of their 15 World Cup matches since they joined the tournament in 2015 -- a one-wicket thriller against Scotland in Dunedin eight years ago.

Meet Chacha Mohammad Basheer, likely the only native Pakistan supporter inside the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium where his beloved team began their World Cup campaign on Friday.

Surprise qualifiers Netherlands have won the toss and asked Pakistan to bat first in the second match of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup in Hyderabad on Friday.

A nine-wicket thumping is tough to digest but England captain Jos Buttler does not want to see his team mates wallow in self-pity after a horrible start to their World Cup title defence against New Zealand on Thursday.

Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar has predicted the four teams he believes will reach the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

New Zealand batsman Rachin Ravindra on Thursday said hitting a match-winning century in the World Cup opener was inspired by watching footage of India cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid after whom he is named.

The greatest cricket carnival began yesterday with defending champions England taking on New Zealand at the biggest cricket stadium in the world in a country that arguably has the largest fanbase of the sport.