South Africa were in no mood to agree but – on a raucous day in south London – the World Cup received the adrenaline shot it needed.
For 48 anxious hours, this tournament had waited for something – anything – to live up to Ben Stokes's champagne catch on the first afternoon. Now, to the delight of their long-suffering but loyal fans, it was Bangladesh who answered the call.
If they were dancing in the streets of Tower Hamlets, home to a large chunk of London's Bangladeshi community, goodness knows what they were doing in Dhaka and Chittagong.
Bangladesh stunned South Africa with a 21-run victory in front of a raucous crowd at the Oval
Faf du Plessis's side have now lost two matches from two and face a daunting India side next
Shakib Al Hasan (L) and Mushfiqur Rahim (R) posted 142 as Bangladesh produced 330-6
Bangladesh stopped being whipping boys long ago, but this 21-run victory still counted as an upset. And after three matches in which Asian teams have been skittled for 105, 136 and 207, their performance suggested they may shock others too.
From the batting nous of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, via a tigerish effort in the field, through to the cutting edge of left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh overwhelmed a South African side who have lost two out of two and are being patched up by sticking plaster.
Fast bowler Dale Steyn was still absent because of shoulder trouble, and they were also missing veteran opener Hashim Amla, who suffered a delayed reaction to the blow on the helmet from Jofra Archer on Thursday. To compound matters, opening bowler Lungi Ngidi managed only four overs before straining a hamstring.
Plan A, as their captain Faf du Plessis referred to it, is in tatters, and Plans B, C and D do not exactly feel robust either. South Africa's next opponents, on Wednesday in Southampton, are India. Lose that, and their tournament will almost be over before the end of the first week.
No World Cup, of course, seems complete without a South African moment of madness, and they did not take long to conform to stereotype as they set off in pursuit of what would have been a competition-record pursuit of 331.
