Bangladesh’s Victory Over Netherlands Paves Way to T20 World Cup Super Eights
Bangladesh secured a significant 25-run victory over the Netherlands in a crucial T20 World Cup 2024 match, taking a big step toward the Super Eights.
This win also ended Sri Lanka’s hopes of advancing from Group D.
Netherlands 134 for 8 (Engelbrecht 33, Vikramjit 26, Rishad 3-33, Taskin 2-30, Mustafizur 1-12) lost to Bangladesh 159 for 5 (Shakib 64*, Tanzid 35, Van Meekeren 2-15, Dutt 2-17) by 25 runs.
Bangladesh defeated Netherlands by 25 runs in the first international match played in Kingstown in almost ten years, taking a significant step toward securing a Super Eights spot at the T20 World Cup 2024.
Shakib Al Hasan, who led Bangladesh to 159 for 5 after scoring his first fifty in 20 T20I innings, made a much-needed comeback to form. After reaching 111 for 3 in the fifteenth over, Netherlands made a strong start to the chase. However, to turn the tide of the match, legspinner Rishad Hossain struck three times in four balls over the space of two overs.
Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman applied further pressure to Rishad, and the Netherlands collapsed, losing 4 wickets for 6 in 16 balls. With 36 needed from the final two overs, they still had a chance, but Mustafizur Rahman’s cutters proved too strong in the 19th over. The hitters continued to swing and miss as he continued to slant the ball across. After giving up just one run in the 17th over, he gave up just three in that over, and Netherlands were eventually held to 134 for 8.
Aryan Dutt was brought in by Netherlands for his first game of the tournament because the Bangladesh top order was full of left-handers, and he quickly paid them back. He was brought on in the second over and dismissed the skipper of Bangladesh with his second ball. Najmul Hossain Shanto reverse-swept the harmless-length ball outside off straight to first slip.
With a great deal of assistance from Sybrand Engelbrecht, Dutt struck again in his subsequent over. After spotting a slog-sweep, Litton Das managed to get a top-edge just in front of the square. However, Engelbrecht, who was positioned behind square, dashed to his left, launched a full-length dive, and grabbed a screaming player only inches off the ground.
Bangladesh kept scoring at a respectable rate despite the early setbacks. In the third over, Tanzid Hasan hit Vivian Kingma for two fours and a six, and in the fifth over, Shakib hit Paul van Meekeren for another four. In the sixth over, Shakib pounded Logan van Beek for four fours, easily leading Bangladesh to 54 for 2, their biggest powerplay total of the competition.
But the Netherlands was not giving up. The bowlers adhered to their lengths as Captain Scott Edwards called out the adjustments. Bangladesh’s scoring pace fell as Netherlands only swerved into the full lengths four times in ten overs between the seventh and the sixteenth. Tim Pringle flattened Towhid Hridoy’s leg stump in the 13th over, and Tanzid misplayed a pull to deep backward square leg in the ninth over as a result of the pressure. With five fours and a six in the middle ten overs, Bangladesh could only muster 58 runs while losing two wickets.
Mahmudullah (25 off 21) and Jaker Ali (14* off 7) made significant contributions as Bangladesh amassed 47 runs in the final four overs.
Michael Levitt was the greatest run scorer for the Netherlands in Twenty20 Internationals since 2024 began, having amassed 349 runs in nine innings going into this event. He has, however, had a miserable start to the T20 World Cup, with scores of 0 and 1 against South Africa and Nepal. In the opening over, he drove Mustafizur through the covers, seemingly turning the tide against Bangladesh. Then, it appeared as though his campaign was back on track when he hit Taskin Ahmed over the roof at deep midwicket.
However, Levitt’s happiness was fleeting. He top-edged a cut off Taskin to Hridoy at point in the fifth over. The Netherlands concluded the powerplay at 36 for 2 when Max O’Dowd hammered a length ball straight back to Tanzim Hasan in the following over.
In the seventh over, Vikramjit Singh hammered Shakib for two consecutive sixes, and in the ninth over, he slog-swept Rishad over deep midwicket. After strolling past a mishandled delivery from Mahmudullah, he got stumped, ending his lively 16-ball performance. However, the Netherlands were still in the running at 69 for 3 in the tenth over.
Engelbrecht and Edwards at the crease appeared to be giving Bangladesh a proper fight by the Netherlands. In a 31-ball partnership of 42 for the fourth wicket, the pair raced brilliantly and regularly hit the boundaries.
The Netherlands needed to get 56 off 36 when Rishad entered the game to bowl the fifteenth over. The legspinner knew this over may make the difference in the contest because his previous two overs had gone for 19. In Bangladesh’s favor, it did.
He got Engelbrecht to top-edge a legbreak straight up with his fourth ball, and Tanzim took the catch at point. After two balls, a ball that spun swiftly past his outside edge had de Leede stumped. After Edwards was removed by Mustafizur, the game was effectively finished when Rishad returned Logan van Beek at the beginning of the 18th over.
Later in that over, Dutt hit a six against Rishad, but in the 19th over, Mustafizur’s cutters proved to be too much for him and Pringle to handle. Netherlands eventually failed to reach their goal by a wide margin. The outcome does not automatically guarantee Bangladesh a spot in the Super Eight, nor does it eliminate them from contention. However, Bangladesh now has a great chance to advance from Group D after Sri Lanka was eliminated.
Also Read: England Dominates Oman in Record Time: A Clinical Victory in the T20 World Cup
Shakib Al Hasan Reflects on Crucial Knock as Bangladesh Eyes Super Eights
Shakib Al Hasan ended his two-year drought without a T20I fifty with a match-winning performance against the Netherlands, scoring an unbeaten 64 off 46 balls to help Bangladesh secure a 25-run victory.Â
This pivotal win enhances Bangladesh’s prospects of reaching the Super Eights in the T20 World Cup 2024. Shakib last recorded a T20I half-century in October 2022. Since then, he has faced numerous challenges, including an eye condition affecting his batting. In his first two World Cup matches, he managed only 8 and 3 runs.
However, his performance against the Netherlands broke a 19-match streak without a fifty, leading Bangladesh to a competitive total of 159. “It was important for someone from the top four to bat throughout the innings,” Shakib said after being named Player of the Match. “Happy with the way I contributed. It wasn’t an easy wicket [to bat on], but we held our nerves and put on a decent total.”
Match Highlights
- Crucial Partnership: Shakib’s 48-run partnership with Tanzid Hasan in just 32 balls helped Bangladesh recover from an early slump.
- Middle-Order Contributions: Mahmudullah and Jaker Ali added valuable runs, helping Bangladesh score 54 off the last five overs.
- Venue Challenge: Shakib noted the difficulty of assessing the pitch, given the venue had not hosted a T20I in over a decade.
Netherlands’ Response
Despite early setbacks, the Netherlands stayed competitive, with significant contributions from Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, and Scott Edwards. However, legspinner Rishad Hossain’s crucial wickets turned the game in Bangladesh’s favor.
Shakib Praises Bowlers
Shakib acknowledged the efforts of Bangladesh’s bowlers: “They [Netherlands] had their moments. In the 12th over, they were close to 90 for 3. Ten an over from there on this wicket with the wind going one way, it wasn’t easy to restrict them but credit to our bowlers for the way they held their nerve.”
Conclusion: Eyes on Super Eights
Bangladesh’s victory against the Netherlands puts them in an excellent position to advance to the Super Eights, with a final group match against Nepal on Monday.
