(Credit /BCB)

Young fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib bowled exceptionally well, delivering 21 dot balls in his career-best performance of 4 for 7. His efforts were crucial as Bangladesh, drawing on their wealth of experience, defeated Nepal by 21 runs. This victory secured Bangladesh’s smooth entry into the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup.

Bangladesh faced challenges while batting on a challenging pitch at Arnos Vale, managing only 106 runs before being all out in 19.3 overs. However, a remarkable bowling performance by pace bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who took 4 wickets for just 7 runs, put Nepal in serious trouble at 26-5 during their chase.

Despite Nepal’s recovery, Bangladesh regained control with a stellar performance by left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman, who took 3 wickets for 7 runs, including a wicket maiden in the crucial penultimate over. This effort led to Nepal being bowled out for 85 runs in 19.2 overs, securing victory for Bangladesh.

As a result of this win, Bangladesh secured the second position in Group D, trailing South Africa, and they will now advance to Group 1 of the Super Eights alongside Afghanistan, India, and Australia.

“Obviously very happy the way we played this qualifying round and I hope we will continue our bowling performance, not batting, but we hope that our batting will be fine in the next round,” said Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto.

“We obviously saw Tanzim rip through the top order, but it’s backed up with the left arm pace, the leg spin, the slow left arm spin,” he added.

“We have everything. I think the last couple of years, all the fast bowlers worked really, really hard and that’s why we played some good cricket here. In this format, the bowling unit is very important, so I hope they will continue their form,” he said.

Tanzim Hasan Sakib proved unstoppable for Nepal’s top order with his pace and bounce, claiming two wickets in his second over. He dismissed Kushal Bhurtel with a full toss and then removed Anil Sah for a duck. Nepal suffered another setback when their captain, Rohit Paudel, mistimed a wide delivery to Rishad Hossain at point, falling victim to Tanzim’s bowling.

The only batsman who settled in for Nepal early on was Aasif Sheikh, who scored 17 runs off 14 balls before being caught by Shakib Al Hasan at cover off Mustafizur Rahman’s bowling. Tanzim’s dominance continued as he later dismissed Sundeep Jora, leaving Nepal struggling at 26-6. However, a resilient 52-run partnership between Dipendra Singh Airee (25) and Kushal Malla (27) revived Nepal’s hopes.

Malla’s departure, deceived by a slower ball from Mustafizur and caught by Shanto, dealt a blow to Nepal’s chances, despite needing 22 runs off the final two overs. Mustafizur’s crucial wicket maiden in the penultimate over tilted the game decisively in Bangladesh’s favor. Nepal’s innings concluded when Abinash Bohara was trapped lbw by Shakib in the final over, ending their pursuit.

Bangladesh’s innings had a shaky start with Tanzid Hasan dismissed by Sompal Kami off the first ball. In the second over, Shanto was clean-bowled by Singh Airee, putting Bangladesh under early pressure. Liton Das fell to Kami, who capitalized on the track offering turn for spinners. Bangladesh struggled to build momentum as Sandeep Lamichhane dismissed Jaker Ali with a superb googly, reaching his 100th T20I wicket in the process. By the 16th over, Bangladesh were 75-8.

Rishad Hossain’s aggressive batting briefly revived Bangladesh’s hopes, scoring 13 off seven balls with a six and a four. However, the last pair of Mustafizur and Taskin Ahmed added 18 runs, barely pushing the total past 100.

Overall, it was a challenging match for both sides, marked by impressive bowling performances and tense moments throughout.

“As a bowling unit we bowled really well. As a batting unit, we could have done better, especially the top-order batters,” said Paudel.