Bangladesh ended their 16-match winless streak in the Round 2 of men’s T20 World Cup with a narrow nine runs win over the Netherlands in Hobart on Monday.
Taskin Ahmed produced a devastating display of seam bowling to help Bangladesh make a comeback after they failed to put on a competitive total on the board after being put into bat in overcast conditions.
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Taskin Ahmed ended with figures of 4 for 25 in four overs as the Netherlands fell short by nine runs. The ball was seaming around, making Taskin and Hasan Mahmud (2/15) all the more lethal.
Taskin provided a dream start with a couple of wickets off the first two balls of the innings. Taskin set the tone for Bangladesh and was on a hat-trick in the first over by removing Vikramjeet Singh and Bas de Leede for ducks. Singh edged the first ball to Yasir Ali, who plucked it inches above the ground at the first slip. Next up, he induced De Leede’s edge and wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan took a diving catch to his right.
A fiery spell of 4/25 🔥
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Taskin Ahmed is the @aramco POTM.#T20WorldCup | #BANvNED pic.twitter.com/UTT8AYfVrF
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 24, 2022
The speedster then came back in his second spell by taking the wickets of Shariz Ahmad and Colin Ackermann (62) to end the Netherlands’ hopes.
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Bangladesh were off to a flying start as their openers Najmul Hossain Shanto (25) and Soumya Sarkar (14) put on 43 runs in five overs. But a change of ends for Van Meekeren did the trick for the Dutch as the pacer produced the vital breakthrough of Sarkar that brought on the imminent collapse. They lost five wickets in the next six overs.
Afif Hossain (38 off 27) added 44 runs for the sixth wicket with Nurul Hasan to steady the ship. Atif held the innings together at one end with his valiant knock after Bangladesh’s star batters, including skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das got out cheaply. However, it was Mosaddek Hossain’s 12-ball 20 with some lofty hits in the last couple of overs which helped Bangladesh push the total to 144 for 8.
The Dutch bowlers bowled their hearts out after not being able to get the length right in the first five overs. Paul van Meekeren was the pick of the bowlers picking up a couple of wickets for 21 runs.
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Resilient Ackermann
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Taskin’s opening over and a couple of silly run-outs has left the Netherlands reeling at 15 for 4.
Colin Ackermann (62) and Scott Edwards (16) put on a valuable 44-run stand for the fifth wicket. Just when the Dutch looked to recover, the veteran Shakib Al Hasan removed his counterpart Scott Edwards. Once Edwards fell, the Netherlands WERE looking down the barrel. They continued getting that odd boundary but never really threatened much. Ackermann struggled to get going but unlike Edwards, managed to get past that phase and got a few runs later on.
The Netherlands needed 12 off two deliveries but Paul van Meekeren, after playing smartly for 24 off 14 balls – three fours and a six – could not find the big shots when it mattered most.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh: 144 for 8 in 20 overs (Afif Hossain 38, Najmul Shanto 25, Mosaddek Hossain 20, Paul van Meekeren 2/21, Bas de Leede 2/29)
bt Netherlands: 135 all out in 20 overs (Colin Ackermann 62, Paul van Meekeren 24; Taskin Ahmed 4/25, Hasan Mahmud 2/15)
