T20 WC: Bangladesh beat Nepal to seal Super 8 qualification
Bangladesh defeated Nepal by 21 runs in Match 37 to seal a Super 8 berth in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. It was a low-scoring affair in St Vincent as the Tigers were folded for 106 while batting first. However, they went on to defend the lowest total in T20 WC history thanks to a four-fer from Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
Bangladesh post a paltry total
The Tigers were off to a poor start with Tanzid Hasan departing off the match's first delivery. None of their batters could touch the 20-run mark with Shakib Al Hasan (17) scoring the most. Sandeep Lamichhane dented them even further by sending back Jaker Ali and Tanzim. The likes of Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Rohit Paudel also claimed two wickets apiece.
Nepal falter in the run chase
Tanzim claimed four wickets upfront as Nepal never got going. They were reduced to 26/5 before Kushal Malla (27) and Dipendra Singh Airee (25) added 52 runs. However, both batters were dismissed in quick intervals as Nepal were folded for 85. Notably, Aasif Sheikh (17) was the only other Nepal batter to enter double digits. Mustafizur Rahman was particularly sensational in the death overs.
100 T20I wickets for Lamichhane
Lamichhane, who claimed 2/17 in his four overs, became the second-fastest bowler to complete 100 T20I wickets. He took 54 games to attain the mark. He is also the first Nepal player to complete a century of T20I wickets. Lamichhane's economy of 6.22 is only second to Rashid Khan (6.22) among bowlers with at least 100 T20I wickets.
Numbers of other Nepal bowlers
Kami, who claimed 2/10, has raced to 61 T20I scalps (ER: 7.04). He claimed three wickets in the ongoing event. Dipendra Singh returned with 2/22 in 3.3 overs. He now owns 43 T20I scalps (ER: 6.03). Six of his wickets have come in the ongoing event. Skipper Paudel took 2/20 in his four overs. He has raced to seven T20I scalps (ER: 6.59).
Kami joins these names
Kami, who dismissed Tanzid Hasan for a golden duck, became the fifth bowler to take a wicket off the first ball in a T20 WC match. He joined the likes of Bangladesh's Mashrafe Mortaza, Afghanistan's Shapoor Zadran, Namibia's Ruben Trumplemann (twice), and India's Arshdeep Singh. All the five aforementioned bowlers happen to be pacers.
Lowest-ever defended target in T20 World Cups
Bangladesh's 107 is now the lowest successfully defended target in T20 WCs. The previous lowest was 114 set by South Africa earlier in the tournament as they beat Bangladesh in New York. Notably, four of the lowest successfully defended scores in T20 WC history have been recorded in the ongoing edition. Bangladesh also recorded the third-lowest successfully defended target in T20Is (only full-member teams).
Tanzim script this record
Tanzim recorded figures worth 4/7 in four overs. Only Mustafizur Rahman (5/22 vs New Zealand, 2016) owns better T20 WC figures for Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Tanzim finished the group stage with nine wickets at an economy of 4.8. This was his maiden T20I four-fer as he has completed 13 wickets across 10 matches (ER: 6.89). Overall, Tanzim has 49 T20 scalps (ER: 8.26).
Do you know?
Tanzim bowled 21 dot balls in the game, the most by any bowler in a T20 WC match. The previous highest was 20 by nine bowlers, including seven in the ongoing edition.
Fine spell from Mustafizur as well
Tanzim was brilliantly complimented by Mustafizur, who made his first strike with the new ball before claiming two wickets toward the end. He finished with 3/7 in four overs. He now has seven wickets in the ongoing tourney (ER: 3.37). While he has raced to 127 T20I wickets at an economy of 7.36, 27 of his scalps have come in T20 WC (ER: 6.58).
Mustafizur, Tanzim script these records
Both Mustafizur and Tanzim recorded the joint-second most economical four-over spells in T20 WC history. They have joined New Zealand's Trent Boult (2/7 vs Uganda) and South Africa's Anrich Nortje (4/7 vs Sri Lanka). NZ's Tim Southee (3/4 vs Uganda) and Uganda's Frank Nsubuga (2/4 vs PNG) share the top spot. All the aforementioned spells have been recorded in the ongoing edition.
Shakib closing in on these milestones
Shakib, who claimed 2/9 in 2.2 overs, is now one short of becoming the first bowler to complete 50 T20 WC wickets. He has an economy of 6.81 in the competition. He is also just two short of completing 150 T20I wickets (ER: 6.79). Only Southee (162) has claimed more wickets in the format.
Bangladesh go through, Nepal remain winless
With three wins in four games, Bangladesh finish second in the Group D standings with an NRR of +0.616. Besides them, table-toppers South Africa are the other team from this group to advance to the Super 8. Meanwhile, Nepal, playing their maiden T20 WC, lost three of their four games as one of their fixtures got washed out. They finished last in the table.
