Bangladesh defeated Nepal by 21 runs in Match 37 – Bangladesh defeats Nepal in a decisive second innings to secure second round status.
With a thrilling victory over Nepal, the Tigers have managed to guarantee their place in the tournament. It completes the journey to the Super Eight phase.
D stands for Drama as, during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Group D produced precisely that. Bangladesh, the tournament progressors, had anything but an easy ride.
South Africa had advanced to the next round, leaving just one spot in the Super Eight available. The Tigers’ fate rested on their ability to defeat Nepal.
Their performance on the field ultimately made history by paving the way for the victory. It was the lowest total in T20I World Cup history to be successfully defended.
The beginning of the tournament was ideal for Nepal, who wanted to end it on a strong note. With the first ball of the match, Sompal Kami bowled and grabbed Tanzid Hasan’s scalp.
Bangladesh was further demoralized when in the second over Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was trapped.
After leading the Tigers to 31/4 at the halfway point of the Powerplay, the Nepalese took two wickets in the fifth and sixth overs.
Bangladesh made an effort to turn their innings around by spreading out their fielders and pushing above 50. However, Bangladesh was completely outplayed when Mahmudullah (13 off 13) was dismissed, following a frustrating run-out that resulted from a misunderstanding.
After reaching 57/5 at drinks, the Tigers required a decisive few overs to get back into the game.
However, right arm off-spinner Rohit Paudel saw blood and produced a ball that turned sharply, trapping the second danger man, Shakib Al Hasan (17 off 22), out leg before wicket.
As Sandeep Lamichhane emerged as a significant figure with two massive wickets that also provided the 23-year-old leg break bowler a remarkable piece of history, things only got worse for Bangladesh. In his 54th cap, Lamichhane’s second dismissal—which saw Jaker Ali removed—was his 100th wicket in a Twenty20 International.
Paudel delivered the decisive blow in the 20th over, running out Bangladesh for 106 runs. The Tigers, who scored an extremely useful 18 runs in the last stand—a contribution that would prove crucial—might have done worse.
Early on, Nepal’s run chase was not without its challenges. As the pressure mounted in St. Vincent, bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib got into a heated argument with another player after he was maimed for two wickets in the third over.
Nepal had a lot of work to do at the six over mark after stumbling to 24/4 via the Powerplay.
The next over saw Sundeep Jora out, putting Nepal at five-for and in serious difficulty. However, Kushal Malla and Dipendra Singh Airee intervened, helping to right the ship and keep the run chase within reach.
They labored towards a run-a-ball assignment, scraping to 42/5 at drinks, with a crucial 16th over putting the match squarely in the balance. The partnership reached over 50 after two Malla boundaries, and with four overs remaining, the needed run rate was reduced to 7.5.
Though gone in the 17th over, Malla (27 off 40) was the wicket Nepal could ill-afford to lose. With a couple of overs remaining and requiring 22 off the last 12 balls, Nepal was nevertheless feeling confident thanks to a well-timed maximum from Airee.
Then, in the 19th over, match-winner Mustafizur Rahman stepped up to the plate and accomplished the almost impossible. He delivered a brilliantly timed wicket-maiden. Bangladesh won the match and advanced to the next round, defeating Nepal by 21 runs, the lowest total ever successfully defended in a T20 World Cup match.
The Tigers storm into the tournament’s second round.