Bangladesh kept their hopes of qualifying in the Super 12 of the Men's T20 World Cup 2021 alive with a hard-fought 26-run win against Oman in Match 6 of the competition at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground.
Earlier in the evening, Oman bowled well at the start and end to restrict Bangladesh to 153 after the latter opted to bat. As Liton Das and Mahedi Hasan fell cheaply to Bilal Khan (3-18) and Fayyaz Butt (3-30) respectively, Bangladesh were reduced to 21/2 in 4.3 overs.
Mohammad Naim and Shakib Al Hasan revived Bangladesh from there, adding 80 in 54 balls before Aqib Ilyas’ direct hit caught Shakib (42 in 29 balls) short of his crease. Naim, who got a couple of reprieves, punished Oman, and notched up a fifty with a four.
But Naim ran out of partners once Shakib fell in the 14th over. Kaleemullah got Naim in the 17th over, and Bangladesh lost control of the innings. They lost six wickets in the last four overs before being bowled out off the final ball of the innings.
Coming to defend, Mustafizur Rahman pinned Ilyas, Oman’s last match’s half-centurion, leg before in the second over. However, he bowled five wides and conceded a six in that over, and the Bangladeshi fielders looked lacklustre from the start. The next over saw Mustafizur drop Kashyap Prajapati at the short third off Mohammad Saifuddin.
But Prajapati (21) failed to make Bangladesh pay, as Mustafizur (4-36) removed him with ball inside the Powerplay. Had Mahmudullah not dropped Jatinder Singh in the same over, Bangladesh could have finished things off quickly.
Jatinder kept Oman in the hunt, smashing four fours and a six in a 33-ball 40 before being undone by Shakib in the 13th over. Oman never really came back into the contest after that, and in the end, they struggled to reach 127/9.
Bangladesh will play their last Group A game against Papua New Guinea on 21 October at the same venue, while Oman will take on Scotland on the same date later in the evening.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 153 in 20 overs (Mohammad Naim 64; Bilal Khan 3-18) beat Oman 127/9 in 20 overs (Jatinder Singh 40; Mustafizur Rahman 4-36) by 26 runs. Player of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan.