Shakib Al Hasan shines in BAN vs NED as Bangladesh inches closer to Super 8 in T20 World Cup 2024
Bangladesh took a significant step towards securing a spot in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2024 with a hard-fought 25-run victory over Netherlands in Kingstown. This win also knocked Sri Lanka out of contention in Group D. Meanwhile, the ‘Player of the Match’ of BAN vs NED, was Shakib Al Hasan who played a splendid inning of 64 runs off just 46 balls.
The returning hero of the day was Shakib Al Hasan, who finally found his form after a string of low performances. His well-constructed 64-run knock (off 46 balls) anchored the Bangladesh inning after they lost their openers early.
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Netherlands’ decision to introduce Aryan Dutt into the attack paid off immediately, as he dismissed the Bangladesh captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, with his second ball. He followed it up with another wicket in his next over, removing Litton Das with a lucky catch by Sybrand Engelbrecht.
Despite the early shake up, Bangladesh found some stability with a crucial partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Tanzid Hasan. Tanzid provided the early impetus with some quick boundaries, while Shakib played a more cautious role initially before accelerating later in his inning. Their partnership of 54 runs in the powerplay set a strong foundation for Bangladesh.
The Dutch bowlers tightened their lines after the powerplay, restricting Bangladesh’s scoring rate in the middle overs. This pressure resulted in the wickets of Tanzid and Towhid Hridoy. Bangladesh could only manage 58 runs in the middle 10 overs, losing 2 wickets.
Shakib remained unchanged by the slowdown, playing a mature inning. He rotated the strike efficiently and ensured Bangladesh didn’t lose further wickets. He reached his fifty off 38 balls and finished unbeaten on 64, his knock proving crucial in taking Bangladesh to a competitive total of 159 for 5.
Netherlands began their chase with some positive intent, with Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd hitting some early boundaries. However, their dismissals within the powerplay put a halt to their momentum. Vikramjit Singh provided a brief fightback with a quickfire 26 before being dismissed by Mahmudullah.
Just when Netherlands seemed to be building a partnership between Colin Ackermann and Scott Edwards, Rishad Hossain’s leg-spin magic turned the game. Rishad delivered a dream spell, taking 3 crucial wickets. This included the dismissals of Engelbrecht, de Leede, and Edwards, completely derailing the Netherlands chase.
With the pressure mounting, Mustafizur Rahman stepped up with some excellent bowling in the death overs. His cutters proved too much to handle for the Dutch batsmen, as he only conceded 3 runs in the 19th over. Netherlands eventually fell short of the target by 25 runs.
Bangladesh in Good Position, Sri Lanka Out
The victory in BAN vs NED, puts Bangladesh in a strong position to qualify for the Super 8 stage. While it doesn’t guarantee their spot yet, it does knock Sri Lanka out of contention in Group D. Netherlands remain in the tournament, but their qualification hopes become much tougher.
