Bangladesh keeps its hopes alive

Bangladesh recovered from its opening match defeat to Scotland by recording a 26-run win over Oman in the Group B game of the T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.

Required to chase 154, Oman could manage only 127 for nine. Bangladesh bowlers, led by Shakib Al Hasan who claimed three for 28, cranked up the pressure on Oman batters by sticking to a disciplined line and length. Left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman picked up four for 36. Oman made a good fist of the chase initially reaching 47 for 2 in the powerplay. From there its innings unravelled in the face of mounting run rate.

Earlier, opener Mohammad Naim struck a fine half-century before co-host Oman bowled out Bangladesh for 153.

Opting to bat in a must game win, Bangladesh, which lost its tournament opener to Scotland, struggled to 29 for the loss of two wickets in the powerplay.

With its backs up against the wall, Naim, who hit 64 of 50 deliveries, and star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (42 off 29) shared an 80-run stand to give their side the much-needed momentum. Dropped catches and sloppy fielding only added to the two batters’ increasing confidence.

While Fayyaz Butt, who played U-19 cricket for Pakistan, pulled off a stunning catch of his bowling to get rid of Mahedi Hasan for a duck, Oman was guilty of dropping as many as three catches.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 153 in 20 overs (M Naim 64, S Al Hasan 42, B Khan 3/18, F Butt 3/30) bt Oman 127/9 in 20 overs (M Rahman 4/36, S Al Hasan 3/28) 

Richie Berrington slammed a stroke-filled 70 while Josh Davey snapped four wickets as Scotland inched closer to the Super 12s with a comfortable 17-run win over Papua New Guinea in the Group B match.

Scotland grabbed the top position in Group B with two wins having shocked Bangladesh in its opening game. Berrington put on 92 runs off 65 balls with Matthew Cross (45) before adding another 33 with Calum MacLeod (10) as Scotland posted a challenging 165 for 9 after opting to bat.

Brief scores:Scotland 165/9 in 20 overs (R Berrington 70, M Cross 45, K Morea 4/31) bt Papua New Guinea 148 in 19.3 overs (N Vanua 47, J Davey 4/18)