In a thrilling match at Kingstown, Bangladesh secured a 25-run victory over the Netherlands, marking their second win in the T20 World Cup and bringing them closer to the Super Eights. The victory followed an earlier triumph against Sri Lanka, which also eliminated Sri Lanka from Group A contention.
Shakib Al Hasan, after a series of lackluster performances, found his form and played a pivotal role, scoring 64 off 46 balls. His partnership with Tanzid Hasan Tamim, who contributed a crucial 35 off 26 balls, helped stabilize Bangladesh's innings after early losses. Mahmudullah Riyad and Jaker Ali added valuable runs in the later overs, pushing Bangladesh past the 150-run mark.
Bangladesh's bowlers were instrumental, particularly in the final five overs. Mustafizur Rahman was exceptional, conceding just 10 runs in his first three overs and only one in the 19th over, effectively sealing the match. Taskin Ahmed defended 33 runs in the last over, clinching the victory.
Rishad Hossain continued his impressive form, taking three crucial wickets, including two in a single over, and conceding 33 runs. His performance followed another three-wicket haul in Bangladesh’s first match in Dallas.
For the Netherlands, Sybrand Engelbrecht top-scored, but his efforts fell short of securing a win for his team.
Early in the match, Bangladesh lost Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das cheaply, both dismissed for a single run. However, the partnership between Shakib and Tanzid rebuilt the innings. Shakib anchored the innings, expressing satisfaction with his performance and the team's resilience on a challenging pitch.
After the match, Shanto and Shakib praised Bangladesh's bowling attack. Shanto highlighted the contributions of Taskin, Mustafizur, and Rishad, stating, "Fizz showed his experience and skill. Rishad stepped up like all the bowlers."
Shakib echoed similar sentiments, "It was a tough pitch at the start, but we held our nerves. It was a challenging total, not an easy one, but our bowlers chipped in perfectly. Rishad and Fizz took the game away from the Netherlands."
This victory strengthens Bangladesh's position in the T20 World Cup, bringing them one step closer to advancing to the Super Eights.
Comment: