KINGSTOWN (St Vincent), June 13:
Shakib Al Hasan regained form with a sublime half-century before leg-spinner Rishad Hossain struck twice at a crucial juncture as Bangladesh inched closer to Super 8s with a 25-run win over Netherlands in the T20 World Cup here on Thursday.
Set a target of 160, the Netherlands ended at 134 for eight in their allotted 20 overs at the picturesque Arnos Vale Ground, which was hosting an international for the first time in 10 overs.
The result meant Sri Lanka were knocked out of the tournament.
Shakib roared back to form with a 46-ball 64 as Bangladesh posted a competitive 159 for five after being asked to bat.
Besides Shakib, Tanzid Hasan struck 35 off 26 balls and Mahmudullah chipped in with 25 off 21.
In their chase, Netherlands lost two wickets with just 32 runs on the board, and most importantly, with the powerplay about to end.
Vikramjit Singh (26 off 16 balls) hit three sixes and was looking dangerous when Mahmudullah had the batter stumped to leave Bangladesh at 69 for three in the 10th over.
Struggling for form prior to this game, Shakib collected four boundaries in the sixth over, which yielded 19 runs, as Bangladesh reached 54 for two at the end of powerplay.
Bangladesh’s two most experienced players, Mahmudullah and Shakib then added 41 runs for the fourth wicket to prop up the team.
However, as the innings entered its final stretch, Mahmudullah, having hit two sixes and two furs, was done in by the strong wind as Engelbrecht completed another good catch near the ropes.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 159/5 in 20 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 64 not out; Paul Van Meekren 2/15, Aryan Dutty 2/17).
Netherlands 134/8 in 20 overs (Sybrand Engelbrecht 33, Vikramjit Singh 26; Rishad Hossain 3/33). (PTI)
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