Bangladesh’s hope for T20 WC semifinal shattered

Bangladesh’s dream to play the semifinal of the T20 World Cup for the first time was shattered after their five-wicket defeat to Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval today.

The Tigers turned up in their final game of the Group 2, knowing that a victory will give them the ticket of last four stage but listless batting, poor fielding and dubious umpiring cost them the game eventually.

After opting to bat first in slow paced pitch, Bangladesh were restricted to 127-8 despite a half-century of opener Najmul Hossain Shanto. Pakistan also struggled in the slow pitch but eventually reached the target with 11 balls to spare, having scored 128-5.

The match turned out to be an unofficial quarterfinal for both of the teams after South Africa’s shocking 13-run defeat to Netherlands earlier the day.

From this Group India and Pakistan moved to the semifinal , however, the group champions will be decided after India’s match against Zimbabwe at Melbourne Cricket Ground later this day.

New Zealand and England, as champions and runners-up respectively from Group 1 confirmed the semifinal earlier.

Shanto was the top-scorer for Bangladesh with 48 ball-54, which was his second fifty plus knock in the tournament. Afif Hossain added 20 ball-24 not out and having done so, he became the seventh Bangladeshi batter to reach 1000 T20 runs.

Soumya Sarkar scored 20 and Liton Das contributed 10. No other batters however reached double digit figure after Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan decided to bat first.

Shanto and Liton made a positive start but the latter, who almost won Bangladesh a match against India, couldn’t show the same aggression like the previous match and was dismissed cheaply to give Pakistan the breakthrough.

Shanto and Soumya then drove Bangladesh and looked to put a huge pressure on Pakistan through a calculative batting.

The subcontinent giant however held the nerve and hit back into the game, courtesy to leg-spinner Shadab Khan who got rid of Soumya and Shakib in consecutive deliveries.

Shakib’s leg-before dismissal looked dubious as the TV replay showed the ball touched his bat before hitting his leg. However he had to go to with duck as Bangladesh experienced a collapse.

Shanto reached his second fifty off 46 balls and then hit a four to indicate to come out from the shell. But again he failed to make the deliveries he wasted as Iftikhar Ahmed spun one past him to rattle his stump.

It was Afif Hossain who helped the side get past 100 and took them close to 130.

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi was the pick of Pakistan bowler with his career best 4-22 while Shadab Khan took 2-30. Haris Rouf and Iftikhar Ahmed picked up one wicket apiece.

Bangladesh could have got the wicket of Mohammad Rizwan in his third ball of the Pakistan innings when Taskin Ahmed undid the batter with a delivery that carried extra bounce but behind the wicket, Nurul Hasan Sohan dropped a regulation catch.

Rizwan went on to score a run-a-ball-32 and shared a 57-run partnership with captain Babar Azam, who was the first one to be dismissed by left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed.

Ebadot Hossain then took the scalp of Rizwan and at the same time, stifled Pakistan.

But the target was so small that one good knock is enough to gun it down. Mohammad Haris provided Pakistan that knock, smashing 31 off 18 with one four two sixes.

Shakib Al Hasan though removed Haris, Pakistan faced no hiccup to reach the target.