Shakib Al Hasan’s all-round show kept Bangladesh alive in the competition with a 26-run win over Oman. Chasing 154, Oman faltered after a strong start and were restricted to 127 for 9, as Shakib returned 3-28 in addition to his handy 29-ball 42 earlier.
Oman got off to a strong start…
They had a better powerplay than Bangladesh for starters with 47 on the board, being led by Jatinder Singh and Kashyap Prajapati. Bangladesh were sloppy in the field and handed Jatinder and Kashyap each a life early on the game. Jatinder timed the ball beautifully in his 33-ball stay for a 40, and took on Shakib in his second over. However, skipper Zeeshan Maqsood struggled at the other end and the pair fell in successive overs as Bangladesh began to seize control.
Could they make a recovery?
No. With 84 needed in 60 balls, Bangladesh struck back with wickets in quick succession as Oman were reduced to 112 for 9 from 81 for 2. Mustafizur Rahman was instrumental in the back-half as Oman’s middle order couldn’t find a way to tackle him. He finished with 4-36, getting the crucial wicket of Kashyap in the final over of the powerplay to halt a budding stand. Shakib once again proved his prowess putting his wealth of experience to good use, while Mohammad Saifuddin and Mahedi Hasan dried up the runs, conceding 30 runs together in their eight overs. Oman lost too many too quickly in the end and fell well short.
How did Bangladesh do after opting to bat?
It was a must-win game for Bangladesh given their loss to Scotland. Although dew was a factor and Bangladesh would’ve had to take into consideration, they opted to bat to set a strong total on the board. The start, though, was quite slow with another poor powerplay in which they scored only 29 runs for the loss of two wickets. Oman looked in control of proceedings with their bowlers bowling good lengths and keeping the batsmen in check. Mahedi Hasan was promoted to No.3, but fell for a four-ball duck. Bangladesh would’ve ended up with a total even lesser than what they got to had it not been for the reviving 80-run stand off 54 balls between Mohammad Naim, who replaced Soumya Sarkar, and Shakib Al Hasan for the third wicket. The stand took them past 100 with the run-rate in ascent thanks to Oman not holding onto their chances with Naim handed two lives early.
It looked like Bangladesh would finish with a score beyond 165…
And they would’ve even had Oman not struck back with quick wickets. Shakib’s run out for 42 was the turning point, not just ending the stand, but instigating a collapse as Bangladesh slipped from 100 for 2 to 122 for 6. Mushfiqur should’ve been sent up but came in only at No.8 and couldn’t do much, scoring just 6. Fayyaz Butt and Bilal Khan reaped rewards for their variations and mixed it up well, finishing with 3-30 and 3-18 respectively.
A lot rested on the set batsman, Naim’s shoulders, who was looking at upping the ante in the death overs, but he was outdone by Kaleemullah who pulled back the pace top-edging to long-on for 64 off 50. Skipper Mahmudullah struck a four and a six for a handy 17-run cameo, but with only three batsmen getting into double figures, they finished with a below-par total.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 153 in 20 overs (Mohammad Naim 64, Shakib Al Hasan 42; Bilal Khan 3-18, Fayyaz Butt 3-30) beat Oman 127/9 in 20 overs (Jatinder Singh 40; Mustafizur Rahman 4-36, Shakib Al Hasan 3-28) by 26 runs.
Source: https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/119480/bangladesh-bounce-back-with-stifling-win-over-oman
