Al Amerat, Oct 19 (Agency) 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.
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.
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 153/20 overs (Mohammad Naim 64, Shakib Al Hasan 42; Bilal Khan 3-18, Fayyaz Butt 3-30); Oman 127/9 in 20 overs (Jatinder Singh 40; Mustafizur Rahman 4-36, Shakib Al Hasan 3-28) by 26 runs.