June 18, 2024
KATHMANDU – Bangladesh defeated Nepal by 21 runs in their last match of the T20 World Cup played at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent, West Indies.
Chasing a modest 107-target by Bangladesh, the Rhinos were bowled out for 85 runs. With this Nepal have been knocked out of the T20 World Cup winless from the group stage.
Nepal’ s innings faltered from the start in the run chase.
Nepal’s top order struggled, with key batters Kushal Bhurtel and Anil Sah falling cheaply for four runs and a duck respectively.
Despite a fighting 27 off 40 balls knock by Kushal Malla and Dipendra Singh Airee’s 25 off 31, Nepal’s batting lineup collapsed under pressure as they were bundled out for just 85 runs.
Tanzim Hasan Sakib struck early, taking the wicket of Nepali opener Bhurtel. Sakib claimed four wickets for just seven runs in his four-over spell. Mustafizur Rahman was equally impressive, taking three wickets for seven runs. Shakib Al Hasan chipped in with two wickets for nine runs, sealing the fate of Nepal’s innings at 85 in 19.2 overs.
Earlier, Bangladesh were confined to 106 runs in 19.3 overs.
Shakib Al Hasan’ s 17 off 22 balls was the top score, with Litton Das and Mahmudullah contributing 10 and 13 runs respectively.
Nepal’s bowlers delivered a commendable performance, with Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee, Rohit Paudel, and Sandeep Lamichhane each taking two wickets. Sompal Kami took 2 wickets conceding 10 runs and Lamichhane was particularly effective as he conceded just 17 runs in his four-over spell.
After the match Rohit Paudel (Nepal skipper) said that as a bowling unit they bowled well but as a batting unit they could have been tighter. “Bangladesh bowled really well and after the first six overs we were four down and it put a lot of pressure on us. The top order batters could have taken more responsibility. I think they bowled really well in the powerplay,” Paudel said. “As a batting unit, we need to step up. We need to understand where to score runs. I think in bowling we were up to the mark but as a batting unit, we need to work a lot.”
He said he believed this team has a bright future but needed to work harder. “We will do better in the upcoming World Cups.”