KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent — Bangladesh edged closer to confirming its second-round qualification by beating the Netherlands by 25 runs at the Twenty20 World Cup on Thursday.
Wrist spinner Rishad Hossain spun the Tigers to victory picking 3-33 in four overs, after star all-rounder Shakib al Hasan had scored 64 not out off 46 balls.
Bangladesh had put up 159-5 after it was put into bat, while the Netherlands was restricted to 134-8 in response in their Group D game.
With one game remaining, Bangladesh needs just two points to qualify for the “super eight” stage. It faces Nepal on Monday.
The Netherlands also needs a win against Sri Lanka on the same day, but will also depend on Bangladesh’s result for its chances of qualifying.
Group leader South Africa has already confirmed its top spot from the group with three straight wins.
Put into bat, Bangladesh opener Tanzid Hassan led the way with 35 off 26 balls. It was pegged back by off-spinner Aryan Dutt picking two early wickets.
Shakib and Hassan then added 48 off 32 balls to steady the ship. Paul van Meekeren provided the breakthrough by removing Hassan, but Shakib carried the innings through with 50 off 38 balls. He hit nine fours.
Toward the end, he put on 41 off 32 balls with Mahmudullah who scored 25 runs. Jaker Ali’s 14 off seven balls helped Bangladesh cross the 150-mark.
The Netherlands didn’t have a stern response to Bangladesh’s all-round attack. Its top-order batters all got starts but failed to convert into big scores.
Sybrand Engelbrecht top-scored with 33, while Vikramjit Singh and Scott Edwards made vital contributions.
Spin took over in the middle overs and at the death, and the Netherlands were unable to break through.
Hossain was on a hat-trick at one stage, but missed — he still picked three wickets in four deliveries across overs 15 and 17.
Defending champion England faces Oman in a must-win game in Antigua. England won the toss and was bowling first.
Afghanistan plays Papua New Guinea in Trinidad.
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