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MUSCAT: Shakib Al Hasan smashed 46 and had bowling figures of 4-9 as Bangladesh annihilated Papua New Guinea by 84 runs to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the Twenty20 World Cup in Muscat on Thursday.
Chasing 182 for victory, PNG were bowled out for 97 in 19.3 overs to hand Bangladesh their second straight win of round one at the Al-Amerat Cricket Ground.
PNG go out of the tournament with three losses in Group ‘B’.
The Tigers bounced back from an opening loss to register two convincing wins and the last one would have been bigger had it not been for Kiplin Doriga’s unbeaten 46.
“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,” said player-of-the-match Shakib. “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.”
PNG were never in the chase after losing their openers including skipper Assad Vala, for six, and Shakib’s introduction made matters worse for the World Cup debutants.
Shakib, a left-handed spinning all-rounder, struck twice in his first 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 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.
Final Group ‘B’ standings
(Tabulated under played, won, lost, points, net run-rate):
Scotland 3 3 0 6 +0.775
Bangladesh 3 2 1 4 +1.733
Oman 3 1 2 2 -0.025
Papua New Guinea 3 0 3 0 -2.655
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.”
Scoreboard
BANGLADESH:
Mohammad Naim c Bau b Morea 0
Liton Das c Bau b Vala 29
Shakib Al Hasan c Amini b Vala 46
Mushfiqur Rahim c Hiri b Atai 5
Mahmudullah c Soper b Ravu 50
Afif Hossain c Ravu b Morea 21
Nurul Hasan c Bau b Ravu 0
Mohammad Saifuddin not out 19
Mahedi Hasan not out 2
EXTRAS (LB-1, W-6, NB-2) 9
TOTAL (for seven wkts, 20 overs) 181
FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-50, 3-72, 4-101, 5-144, 6-153, 7-161.
DID NOT BAT: Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
BOWLING: Morea 4-0-26-2 (1w); Ravu 4-0-40-2 (4w); Soper 4-0-53-0 (2nb); Bau 2-0-20-0 (1w); Vala 3-0-26-2; Amini 2-0-9-0; Atai 1-0-6-1.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA:
L. Siaka lbw b Saifuddin 5
A. Vala c Nurul b Taskin 6
C.J.A. Amini c Naim b Shakib 1
S. Bau c Naim b Shakib 7
S.K. Atai c Mahedi b Shakib 0
Hiri Hiri c Nurul b Shakib 8
N. Vanua c Mushfiqur b Mahedi 0
K. Doriga not out 46
C.A. Soper b Saifuddin 11
K.V. Morea run out 3
D. Ravu c Nurul b Taskin 5
EXTRAS (LB-1, W-3, NB-1) 5
TOTAL (all out, 19.3 overs) 97
FALL OF WKTS: 1-11, 2-13, 3-13, 4-14, 5-24, 6-24, 7-29, 8-54, 9-80.
BOWLING: Mohammad Saifuddin 4-0-21-2 (1nb, 2w); Mustafizur Rahman 4-0-34-0 (1w); Taskin Ahmed 3.3-1-12-2; Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-9-4; Mahedi Hasan 4-0-20-1.
RESULT: Bangladesh won by 84 runs.
UMPIRES: H.D.P.K. Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and R.A. Kettleborough (England).
TV UMPIRE: C.B. Gaffaney (New Zealand).
MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).
PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh).