Pacer Taskin Ahmed produced career best figures of 4/25 as Bangladesh bounced back from an insipid batting show to defeat the Netherlands by nine runs in their opening Super-12 game of the T20 World Cup at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart on Monday, October 24.

Paul van Meekeren led the show with a tidy 2/21 as the Netherlands bounced back after an expensive start in the Power Play to restrict Bangladesh to a modest 144 for eight.

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.

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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, October 27. The Netherlands on the other hand will take on India. Defending a modest 145, Bangladesh got off to a sensational start when Taskin rattled the Netherlands with with two wickets off as many balls to send back Vikramjit Singh (0) and Bas de Leede (0).

Bangladesh then effected two run outs of Max O'Dowd (8) and Tom Cooper (0) inside the Power Play to leave the Netherlands' chase in disarray with 15/4 inside four overs. Just when the Dutch looked to recover, the veteran Shakib Al Hasan removed his counterpart Scott Edwards (16) with a delivery going down the leg side.

At the other end, rookie Hasan Mahmud calmly went about his way with his skiddy and quick arm action and returned with miserly figures 4-1-15-2 to edge them closer to a come-from-behind win.

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Earlier, van Meekeren triggered the Bangladesh collapse dismissing Soumya Sarkar (14) inside the Power Play as Bangladesh went on to lose five wickets for 33 runs. It was Afif Hossan who held the innings together at one end with a spirited 27-ball 38 but there was hardly any support for him in the middle with the likes of skipper Shakib Al Hasan (7) and Litton Das (9) getting out cheaply.

Afif slammed two boundaries and as many sixes with Mosaddek Hossain (12-ball 20 not out) giving him company to prop up the total.

Making his T20 World Cup debut, 19-year-old leg-spinner Shariz Ahmed had the prized scalp of Shakib when the Bangladesh star skipper miscued a slog sweep to be caught at square boundary. Ahmed returned with impressive figures of 3-0-27-1.

Playing two young spinners was a bold decision by the Dutch skipper Scott Edwards as 20-year-old left-arm spinner Tim Pringle also returned with a tidy 2-0-10-1 to dent Bangladesh's recovery.

Sent in to bat, Bangladesh got off to a solid start with Najmul Hossain Shanto (25) and Soumya Sarkar (14) putting on a 43-run opening wicket partnership in five overs.

Sarkar took on Fred Klaasen who looked wayward as he smashed the Dutch pacer for two boundaries to get them off to a flier. Left-handed Shanto also played a perfect foil as he cracked back to back fours against Bas de Leede as Bangladesh cruised to 33 for no loss.

But a change of ends for van Meekeren did the trick for the Dutch as the pacer gave the vital breakthrough of Sarkar that brought on the imminent collapse. Rain came to Bangladesh's rescue briefly after they slipped to 63/4 in the 10th over.

First Published:Oct 24, 2022 2:34 PM IST