HOBART: Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed stormed through the Netherlands batting line as he grabbed four wickets to propel Bangladesh seal a nine-run win in their opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 on Monday.
Set to chase 145, the Netherlands were restricted to 135, getting all out on the final delivery, after a furious early spell by Taskin, who made consecutive strikes in the first two balls of the innings to wreak havoc on the dutch batting order.
Taskin dismissed opener Vikramjit Singh and No 3 batter Bas de Leede on golden ducks before Max O’ Dowd and Tom Cooper were runout as the Netherlands jittered early in their chase and slid to 15/4 in just 3.4 overs.
Following the slump, Colin Ackermann anchored the innings with a defiant knock of 48-ball 62 laced with six fours and two sixes while skipper Scott Edwards joined him on the crease for a brief partnership of 44 runs.
The skipper managed just 16 off 24 before he was dismissed by Bangladesh captain Shakin Al Hasan in the 12th over, forcing another tumble in the batting line as the next four fell in quick succession.
Tailender Paul van Meekeren scored a quick 24 off 14 but in vain as the game had already slipped out of Dutch hands when Taskin got rid of Ackermann in the 17th over.
For Bangladesh, apart from Taskin, Hasan Mahmud bagged two wickets while Soumya Sarkar and Shakib took a scalp each.
Opting to bowl first, the Netherlands remained sensational with the bowl in the middle as the combined effort by the bowlers reduced Bangladesh to 76/5 in 11 overs after a sublime start of 43 without a loss in the first five overs.
Paul van Meekeren provided the first breakthrough to the Dutch side as he dismissed opener Sarkar after he scored 14 off 14. Bangladesh’s batting line jittered following the first dismissal as the next four batters returned to the pavilion at regular intervals, adding cumulative 27 runs.
Afif and wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan then anchored the innings with a 44-run partnership for the sixth wicket with the former being the major contributor. The partnership lasted for 37 balls before medium pacer Bas de Leede dismissed the wicketkeeper batter for a paltry 13 off 18 while Afif was out caught in the same over.
Mosaddek hit a couple of boundaries and a six to rejuvenate his side despite tight bowling by the Dutch bowlers at the death as they offered just 15 runs in the last two overs.
For the Netherlands, van Meekeren and de Leede grabbed two wickets each while Tim Pringle, Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek and Fred Klaassen took a scalp apiece.
