Al Amerat, Oct 19: Bangladesh kept their hopes of advancing to Super 12s stage alive with a nervy 26-run win over co-hosts Oman in their Group B match of the T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.
Opener Mohammad Naim struck a fine half-century to help Bangladesh set a 154-run target before bowlers led by star pacer Mustafizur Rahman restricted Oman to 127 for 9.
Both Oman and Bangladesh now have one win each, and will be vying for the only remaining spot to qualify for the Super 12 stage.
While Oman will take on Scotland, Bangladesh next play Papua New Guinea. Chasing a challenging target, Ludhiana-born Jatinder Singh (40 off 33) provided a solid start for Oman alongside Kashyap Prajapati (21) but the other batters struggled.
Like Oman, Bangladesh were also guilty of dropping catches. But under tremendous pressure, they held their nerves and thanks to some astute captaincy by skipper Mahmudullah and the spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mahedi Hasan they were able to make a strong comeback.
Left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman took four wickets. Oman needed 54 runs in the last five overs.
But with the boundaries drying up and the required run rate continuously increasing, Oman batters became desperate and went for the big shots, losing their wickets in the process.
Shakib, who starred with the bat also pitched in with the ball, ending with impressive figures of 3/28.
Opting to bat in a must game win, Bangladesh struggled to 29 for the loss of two wickets in the powerplay.
With their backs up against the wall, Naim, who hit 64 of 51 deliveries, and star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (42 off 29) shared an 81-run stand to give their side the much-needed momentum.
Dropped catches and sloppy fielding added to the two batters’ increasing confidence. (PTI)
