Shakib's all-round performance keep Bangladesh's hope alive for Super 12.
Bangladesh 153 all out (Naim 64, Shakib 42, Bilal Khan - 3/18) beat Oman 127 for 9 (Jatinder Singh 40, Mustafizur 4/36, Shakib 3/28) by runs 26 runs.
The sixth game of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 saw a clash between Bangladesh and Oman at Al Amerat Cricket Ground at Oman on Tuesday.
Both the teams came into this game with completely different perspectives yet a single motive, i.e., to win. Oman came into this game on the back of a 10-wicket victory over Papua New Guinea on the first day of the tournament while Bangladesh faced a six-wicket loss to Scotland.
It was Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah who won the toss and decided to bat first and put on a good total on the board.
Good toss but shaky start
Although it was a good toss to win for Mahmudullah but the side failed to start off big and lost two wickets early on. The first to fall off was Liton Das who seemed to have looked uncomfortable from the start. At first, he almost edged a delivery off Kaleemullah’s delivery and luckily survived, followed by two lucky runs due to a misfield in the subsequent deliveries and even getting dropped at deep-square leg in the next over. However, luck fell short for Bangladesh as they lost the in form batter Liton Das in the 3rd over, courtesy Bilal Khan who got Oman their first breakthrough.
On the other hand, Mohammad Naim counting on his good form, hit a four and a six to overcome the early pressure built by Oman bowlers. The next damage to Bangladesh was incurred in the 5th over as this time Fayyaz trapped Hasan caught and bowled by pulling off an acrobatic catch to his left during followthrough.
Bangladesh was reeling at 25/2 and needed a partnership in the game which they finally got when Shakib Al Hasan came into the middle. The left-handed batter scored 42 runs off 29 deliveries with six beautiful boundaries. He sticked to getting runs in boundaries, while Mohammad Naim cleared the ropes for keeping the run-flow quick. He even survived twice owing to two dropped catches.
Read More: ICC T20 WC 2021 - First Round, Group B, PNG vs Oman - Hosts Oman vanquish PNG by 10 wickets
Shakib dismissed, Oman bowlers bounce back
It was just that Bangladesh were looking to get a big total and lost Shakib Al Hasan in a run-out in 13.3 overs. The wicket came as a bonus for the Oman bowlers who were desperately looking for a breakthrough after being unable to restrict the 80-run partnership between Shakib and Naim and Shakib.
And it was matter of some more deliveries as the trio of Bilal Khan, Kaleemullah and Fayyaz Butt inflicted regular damage and kept Bangladesh batters at bay. Both Fayyaz Butt and Bilal Khan jointly took three wickets each and finished with the figures 3/30 and 3/18 respectively. Fayaz Butt in fact took two of his three wickets in the 19th overs from back-to-back deliveries and further rattled Bangladesh’s lower-order batting.
Except Shakib and Naim, no Bangladesh batter could withstand Oman’s incandescent looking bowlers. Skipper Mahmudullah (17 runs off 10 balls) got out LBW off Bilal Khan’s delivery in 19.3 overs. Bangladesh got out on 153 runs in 20 overs with Mohammad Naim finishing as the top-scorer with 64 runs off 50 balls studded with three boundaries and four sixes.
Oman starts off chase positively
Chasing 154 runs, Oman lost opener Aqib Ilyas off the first delivery of the 2nd over with Mustafizur Rahman striking early for his side. However, like the previous game, Oman looked undeterred despite losing the in-form Aqib who scored an unbeaten half century against Papua New Guinea in the last game.
Jatinder Singh continued from where he left in the last game and kept the chase on with regular boundaries and singles in the middle.
Bangladesh bowlers stage comeback
Oman looked in control of the game until the 13th over before Jatinder’s dismissal. He scored 40 runs off 33 deliveries before getting dismissed by Shakib Al Hasan in the 13th over. It was after his dismissal that Bangladesh bowlers staged a great comeback spearheaded by Shakib Al Hasan (3/28) and Mustafizur Rahman (4/36) in their spells. Apart from them, Mahedi Hasan too delivered a miserly spell including a crucial wicket of Oman skipper Zeeshan Mahmood (12 runs off 16 deliveries).
Regular wickets by Bangladesh bowlers mounted more pressure on Oman’s batsmen as the required rate crossed over 12 runs per over. Eventually, Bangladesh sealed the game by 26 runs as Oman managed only 127/9 in 20 overs. Mahmudullah and his men also avoided the chances of ouster from the Super 12 qualification. However, they still lag behind Oman on the net-run rate front and need to improve that in the forthcoming matches.
It was pretty evident from the outcome that Oman lacked experience. At the same time Bangladesh banked on its experience of playing against big teams especially in high pressure situations.
Player of the match
Shakib Al Hasan lifted the player of the match award for his all- round contribution with both bat and ball. He scored a valuable 42 runs and staged a beautiful comeback for Bangladesh by giving a crucial breakthrough when they bowled. He showed grit and experience in the 17th over and took down two of Oman’s batters - Ayaan Khan (9 runs off 13 balls) and Naseem Khushi (4 runs off 6 balls).
A loss would have eliminated Bangladesh and ensured qualification for Oman as well as Scotland. However, Bangladesh’s win makes the early stage of the tournament more interesting ahead of the Super 12.
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