Riding on opener Tamim Iqbal's unbeaten 83, Bangladesh managed to eke out a narrow eight-run win over the Netherlands in their first match of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers, in Dharamsala on Wednesday.
Put in to bat, Bangladesh kept losing wickets at regular intervals but Tamim almost single-handedly lifted the team to 153 for seven and then restricted the Dutch to 145 for seven in their allotted 20 overs.
The Netherlands required 33 from the last 12 balls with duo of Mudassar Bukhari (14 off 5 balls) and Peter Seelar taking 16 off the penultimate over bowled by Al Amin Hossain.
Needing 17 off the final over, the 'Orange Brigade' could only manage 8 runs off the Taskin Ahmed as the 'Tigers' looked relieved with a win first-up.
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Earlier, swashbuckling Tamim did not let the fall of wickets at the other end affect him as he smacked six boundaries and three sixes during his impressive 58-ball innings. The other Bangladeshi batsmen couldn't score much with Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman contributing 15 runs each.
The Netherlands medium-pacer Timm van der Gugten was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 21, while Paul van Meekeren (2/17) chipped in with two scalps. The Netherlands batsmen gave Bangladesh a run for their money while chasing the modest target, but ultimately failed to pull it off as Bangladeshi bowlers experience prevailed over the minnows.
Opener Stephen Myburgh (29) gave a solid start to the team before skipper Peter Borren (29) took it forward. But left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan's struck twice put a lid on their hopes.
However, it was still not over as lower-order batsman Mudassar Bukhari gave Bangladesh another scare with his five-ball 14. But unfortunately, Bukhari got run out.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh: 153 for 7 in 20 overs (Tamim Iqbal 83; Timm van der Gugten 3/21).
Netherlands: 145 for 7 in 20 overs (Stephen Myburgh 29, Peter Borren 29; Al-Amin Hossain 2/21).
