Bangladesh win by 9 runs against Netherlands

Bangladesh won their first-ever Super 12 match at a Twenty20 World Cup Monday, with Taskin Ahmed taking 4-25 as they beat the Netherlands by nine runs.

Winning the toss, the Netherlands caption sent Bangladesh to batting first.

The Dutch, who battled through the preliminary round to reach the Super 12, held the Asian nation to 144-8 but were all out for 135 on the final ball.

Dutch bowlers ran through Bangladesh’s batting line before Afif Hossain resisted with a valiant 38 off 27 while Mosaddek Hussain played a late cameo of 12-ball 20 to help their side raise a fighting 145-run target against the Netherlands in the Super 12 game of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, here on Monday.

Bangladesh needed to lift themselves in the bowling department and they did that via Taskin who helped his team dismiss the opposition for 135.

The fast bowler got into the act straightway, inflicting a twin blow on the first two balls.

Colin Ackermann fought valiantly in his 48-ball 62 but did not get support from the other batters.

Opting to bowl first, the Netherlands remained sensational with the bowl in the middle as the combined effort by the bowlers reduced Bangladesh to 76/5 in 11 overs after a sublime start of 43 without a loss in the first five overs.

Paul van Meekeren provided the first breakthrough to the Dutch side as he dismissed opener Soumya Sarkar after he scored 14 off 14. Bangladesh’s batting line jittered following the first dismissal as the next four batters went back to the pavilion at regular intervals, adding cumulative 27 runs.

Afif and wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan then anchored the innings with a 44-run partnership for the sixth wicket with the former being the major contributor. The partnership lasted for 37 balls before medium pacer Bas de Leede dismissed the wicketkeeper batter for a paltry 13 off 18 while Afif was out caught in the same over.

Mosaddek hit a couple of boundaries and a six to rejuvenate his side despite tight bowling by the Dutch bowlers at the death as they offered just 15 runs in the last two overs.

For the Netherlands, van Meekeren and de Leede grabbed two wickets each while Tim Pringle, Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek and Fred Klaassen took a scalp apiece.

This was Bangladesh's first ever win in the second round of a T20 World Cup. They next face South Africa in Sydney on Thursday. The Netherlands on the other hand will take on India.