Bangladeshi Shakib Al Hasan scored 46 and bowled 4 batsman, just giving 9 runs against Papua New Guinea, qualifying for the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup in Muscat on 21 October.
Chasing 182 for victory, Papua New Guinea were bowled out for 97 in 19.3 overs to hand Bangladesh their 2nd straight win of round one at the Al-Amerat Cricket Ground.
Papua New Guinea go out of the tournament with three losses in Group ‘B’.
The Tigers bounced back from an opening loss to register 2 convincing wins and the last one would have been bigger had it not been for Kiplin Doriga’s unbeaten 46 score.
“Every game we’re playing gives us into more confidence. Obviously it was a setback, the first game, but in the T20 format the team that is better on the day wins. But now the pressure is off and we can play expressively. It’s not an easy format to get back into form, but luckily I’m getting more chance to bat up the order.”
said player-of-the-match Shakib
Papua New Guinea were never in the chase after losing their openers including skipper Assad Vala, for 6, and Shakib Al Hasan introduction made matters worse for the World Cup debutants.
Shakib Al Hasan, a left-handed spinning all-rounder, struck 2 in his 1st over and then took two more to equal Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi as the leading wicket-taker with 39 scalps in T20’s showpiece event.
Earlier Skipper Mahmudullah, who hit 50, and Shakib Al Hasan helped Bangladesh to 181-7 after they elected to bat first.
Afif Hossain’s quickfire 21 and an unbeaten 19 off 6 balls from Mohammad Saifuddin, who finished the innings with two sixes and a four, fired Bangladesh to the highest total of the tournament so far.
They lost Mohammad Naim for a duck on the second ball of the innings and the wickets of Liton Das, for 29, and Mushfiqur Rahim, for five, as they slipped to 72-3.
Shakib, who starred with bat and ball in the team’s previous win over Oman, hit back in baking hot conditions with three sixes in his 47-ball knock. But an attempted fourth big hit got him caught at long-on off skipper Assad Vala, who returned figures of 2-26 with his off-spin bowling.
Mahmudullah kept up the charge and raced to his 50 with three sixes and three fours in 27 balls.
He departed in controversial circumstances as he was caught by Chad Soper at deep square leg off what appeared to be a waist-high no ball from Damien Ravu.
Third umpire Chris Gaffaney initially gave the Bangladesh captain not out before changing his decision on the big screen.
“I think the two things we’ve been concerned about are the first six overs with bat and ball,” said Mahmudullah. “If we get a good start, we can capitalise, so I think we need to improve on that.”
