Bangladesh crush PNG to reach Super 12’s

Bangladesh crush PNG to reach Super 12’s

Bangladesh completed a commanding 84-run win over Papua New Guinea in the final first round match from Group B at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Muscat, Oman on Thursday and ensured a spot in the Super 12’s of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup.

Player of the match Shakib Al Hasan toyed the inexperienced opponents as he took 4-9 in his four overs and Mohammad Saifuddin and Taskin Ahmed took two wickets each to bundle out Papua New Guinea for 97 in 19.3 overs.

Kiplin Doriga scored a valiant 46 not out off 34 balls and Chad Soper made 11 but other than them no other PNG batter got into double figures as the associate side got completely outclassed in their final first round match and ended their campaign with three losses in as many matches.

Earlier, skipper Mahmudullah scored 50 off just 28 balls and Shakib struck a timely 46 off 37 balls to power the Tigers to 181-7, their best ever total in the tournament after they opted to bat first.

Kabua Morea, Asad Vella and Damien Ravu took two wickets each for PNG.

After the evening game, Bangladesh, Scotland and Oman have four points each but Bangladesh lead the Group B table owing to their better net run rate.

Scotland and Oman face off in the final Group B match in the night game, where if the Scots win they will become group champions and Bangladesh will qualify as runners-up.

But if Oman wins, Scotland will be eliminated and the margin of the victory will dictate who will become the group champion between Bangladesh and Oman.

Chasing an improbable 182-run target, PNG never looked like reaching the target as they had lost their top four wickets inside the first six overs for just 17 runs.

Shakib came into the attack in the fifth over, with PNG already struggling on 13-2 after Saifuddin and Taskin took out the openers.

Shakib struck in his very first ball as Mohammad Naim took a brilliant catch running back to dismiss Charles Amini (one), who had taken a similar running catch in front of the boundary to dismiss Shakib in the previous innings.

The Shakib show continued with Simon Atai (0) being the next victim in the same over.

Shakib kept giving the ball loop to entice the PNG batters to go for big shots and they repeatedly fell in his trap as all four of his wickets came from catches.

Sese Bau (seven) and Hiri Hiri (eight) were Shakib’s next victims as the left-arm spinner finished with four wickets in a T20I for the fifth time in his career.

Doriga made sure PNG didn’t fold for the lowest ever total in the T20 World Cup, a record that belongs to the Netherlands who were bundled out for 39 against Sri Lanka in the 2014 edition in Bangladesh, and took the match till the last over.

Bangladesh got off to a rocky start when last match’s half-centurion Naim departed for a duck in the second ball of the innings.

Shakib and Liton fixed the early jitters with a 50-run stand, before the latter gave away his wicket after getting to 29 off 20 balls.

After Mushfiqur Rahim’s (five) short stay and Shakib’s departure in the 14th over, Mahmudullah’s 27-ball fifty, the quickest so far in the tournament, Afif Hossain’s 21 off 14 balls and Saifuddin’s late blitz of 19 not out off six balls helped the Tigers score 77 runs off the last six overs and bat PNG out of the match.

Bangladesh will be put in Group 2 in the Super 12’s alongside Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, New Zealand and the Group A runners-up if they end up as Group B champions.

But if they end up as runners-up, they will be put in Group 2 with England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies and the Group A champions.