ICC T20 World Cup
T20 World Cup 2021: Afghanistan Win Big against Scotland as Mujeeb takes fifer
Afghanistan comprehensively outplayed Scotland in every department during their first Super 12 encounter of the ongoing World Cup tournament on Monday (October 25). Afghanistan triumphed by 130 runs and climbed to the top of Group 2 for the first time. As expected, Afghan spinners performed really well in this match. Particularly, off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was very impressive with the ball. He claimed the first five wickets in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Take a look at the list of all-time five-wicket hauls in the tournament’s history.
T20 World Cup 2021: Afghanistan vs. Scotland Match Report
Opting to bat first, all the Afghanistan batters played their part with the bat, putting up a mammoth 190/4 in the 20 overs to defend.
Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad provided Afghanistan the perfect start with a 54-run opening partnership in power plays. Shahzad returned to the pavilion after a 22-run knock. However, Zazai (44) stayed at the crease till the tenth over, bringing the total to 82.
Read T20 World Cup 2021: Afghanistan Win Big against Scotland as Mujeeb takes fifer
The best partnership of the Afghanistan innings came in the third wicket. Two veteran middle order batsmen Rahmanullah Gurbaz (46) and Najibullah Zadran (47) put up an 87-run stand and took the total close to 200. Najibullah elated the Sharjah crowds by playing some big strokes in the middle. He made 59 off 34 balls, including three massive sixes.
Scotland's most successful bowler was Safyaan Sharif. He took two wickets for 33 runs in four overs.
Scotland got off to a good start in the run chase. George Munsey and Kyle Coetzer put on a 28-run partnership within the first four overs. Off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman interrupted their momentum in the fourth over, taking three wickets (Coetzer, Macleod, and Berrington). Scotland suddenly found themselves at 28/3.
Read Afghanistan beat Scotland by 130 runs in T20 World Cup
At the other end, leg-spinner Rashid Khan began to pick up wickets, and Scotland continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Afghanistan just needed 10.2 overs to dismiss Scotland for 60 runs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman ended his spell with 5/20, while Rashid Khan took 4 wickets for only 9 runs in his spell. Munsey scored highest 25 runs for Scotland.
Afghanistan made a spectacular start to their ICC T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. If the Afghan team wins at least two more games in group B, they have a fair chance to advance to the semifinals.
List of Five-Wicket Hauls in T20 World Cup
Mujeeb Ur Rahman became the seventh bowler in T20 World Cup history to grab five wickets in an innings. Only seven bowlers bagged five wickets in the T20 format World Cup before him.
Have a look at the players who have taken five-wicket in an innings.
Player
Bowling Figure
Opposition
Ground
Date
Ajantha Mendis (SL)
4-2-8-6
Zimbabwe
Hambantota
18/09/2012
Rangana Herath (SL)
3.3-2-3-5
New Zealand
Chattogram
31/03/2014
Umar Gul (PAK)
3-0-6-5
New Zealand
The Oval
13-06-2009
Ahsan Malik (NED)
4-0-19-5
South Africa
Chattogram
27-03-2014
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (AFG)
4-0-20-5
Scotland
Sharjah
25-10-2021
Mustafizur Rahman (BAN)
4-0-22-5
New Zealand
Kolkata
26-03-2016
James Faulkner (NZ)
4-0-27-5
Australia
Mohali
25-03-2016
Lasith Malinga (SL)
4-0-31-5
England
Pallekele
01-10-2012
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Way Forward
Afghanistan won the match against Scotland thanks to a collective effort. Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were the Afghani team's top performers. Rashid and Mujeeb rattled the Scottish batting order following a sensible batting effort by Afghanistan batters.
Read Mujeeb rattles Scotland with three-wicket over
Mujeeb Ur Rahman's first T20 five-wicket haul on the international stage came in this match. In total, he has taken 30 wickets in 20 Twenty20 Internationals. His precision and wicket-taking abilities will be crucial to Afghanistan in this competition. Undoubtedly, Mujeeb is one of the main bowlers to keep an eye on in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Shakib Al Hasan on his way to reach another milestone
The Bangladesh cricket team lost a vital Super 12 match against Sri Lanka On Sunday (October 24). The star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was brilliant with the ball once again. He became the highest wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history after taking two wickets in three overs against the Lankan side. Earlier in the tournament, the ace all-rounder set a new record for most T20I wickets. Shakib has been in fantastic form with the ball and has a chance to attain yet another milestone before Bangladesh's ICC T20 World Cup 2021 fixtures are completed.
Shakib's potential feat in the remaining ICC T20 World Cup 2021
Shakib Al Hasan has set several records in his nearly two-decade cricket career. His unwavering commitment and desire to be the best have gained him widespread acclaim. Shakib's on-field performance has also aided Bangladesh in progressing to the next level.
Shakib Al Hasan smashed two international records by taking 11 wickets in just four matches in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup 2021. He also became the first player to achieve 12,000 international runs and take 600 or more international wickets.
Read T20 World Cup: Lahiru, Liton fined for breaching ICC code of conduct
Bangladesh have four matches left in the present T20 World Cup. Shakib may achieve yet another new milestone in the forthcoming BAN vs. ENG encounter. If not, he will very certainly do that in the World Cup's remaining matches.
The world's best all-rounder is two wickets away from being the fourth player in history and the first Bangladeshi to take 400 wickets in Twenty20 format.
Shakib Al Hasan has 398 Twenty20 wickets at an incredible average of 21.07 from 349 appearances. West Indian all-rounder DJ Bravo has the most T20 wickets. He has collected 551 wickets in 508 games.
Read T20 World Cup : Three Things Bangladesh Must Address Before England Match
Top Five Wicket-Takers in the T20 Format
Two West Indian players have claimed 400+ wickets in the T20 format. Only DJ Bravo has taken more than 500 wickets among them. Imran Tahir of South Africa, Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh, and Rashid Khan of Afghanistan are the other three wicket-takers in the top five.
Highest wicket-takers in Twenty20
Player
Matches
Wkts
BBI
Ave
Econ
5W
DJ Bravo (WI)
508
551
5/23
24.25
8.20
2
Sunil Narine (WI)
383
425
5/19
20.72
6.04
1
Imran Tahir (SA)
334
420
5/23
19.79
6.96
3
Shakib Al Hasan (BAN)
349
398
6/6
21.07
6.82
4
Rashid Khan (AFG)
284
392
5/3
17.62
6.35
3
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read: T20 World Cup: Pakistan off to a solid start chasing India’s 151
Bottom Line
Shakib Al Hasan will have to show his full potential in the upcoming matches if Bangladesh are to advance to the semifinals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Bangladesh's next encounter will be against one of the early favorites England. If Shakib fires up, the Tigers have a good chance to stun the English team. Furthermore, the left-arm spinner will be able to reach another personal milestone in this match.
Shakib Al Hasan is the poster boy of Bangladesh cricket. If Shakib can keep consistent in this manner over the next 3 to 4 years, he would be able to reach unprecedented heights. Therefore, breaking his records will be tough for other cricketers.
Read Pakistan beat India by 10 wkts, for maiden WC win against archrivals
Shakib emerges as highest wicket-taker in T20 World Cups
Bangladesh’s all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the history of ICC T20 World Cups, as he took his 40th and 41st wickets in the tournament’s ongoing edition against Sri Lanka at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
He earned the feat with his 40th wicket by bowling out Panthum Nissanka, 24, of Sri Lanka in the first ball of his 2nd over, leaving the Island nation for 71 for 2 in 8.1 overs.
Shakib further improved his record of grabbing 41 wickets bowling out Avishka Fernando for a duck in his 4th ball of the same over (2nd over) with scoreboard showing 71 for 3 in the 8.4 overs.
Earlier on Thursday, Shakib Al Hasan drew level with the record of Pakistan legend Shahid Afridi, taking 39 wickets in T20 World Cups.
Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Shakib Al Hasan Reaches Three Unique Milestones
Afridi took 39 wickets in 34 matches of the T20 World Cups between 2007 and 2016. Shakib needed just 28 matches to touch Afridi’s record. He broke the record in his 29th match. Along the way, Shakib registered three four-wicket hauls, while Afridi has two four-wicket hauls.
ICC T20 World Cup 2021: High-Voltage Match between India and Pakistan
India and Pakistan will begin their ICC T20 World Cup 2021 journey on Sunday (October 24). The match between these two teams will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium at 8 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time). This match always brings an extra level of excitement among the fans. This time will be no different. Both teams feature world-class cricketers on their squads. On any given day, these players might put the opponent in peril. The match preview of India vs. Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2021 is discussed in this article.
Read ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka Match Preview
Notable T20I Record between India and Pakistan
The following are the most significant T20I records between India and Pakistan.
India
Pakistan
Matches Played (8)
7
1
Most Runs
Virat Kohli (254 runs in 6 innings)
Shoaib Malik (164 runs in 8 innings)
Highest Score
Virat Kohli (78*)
Mohammad Hafez (61)
Most Fifties
Virat Kohli (2)
Mohammad Hafez (2)
Most Wickets
Irfan Pathan (6)
Umar Gul (11)
Best Bowling Figures
Hardik Pandya (3/8)
Mohammad Asif (4/18)
Most Matches
MS Dhoni (8)
Shahid Afridi (8)
Highest Partnership
Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni (97)
Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik (106)
Most Catches
Suresh Raina (7)
Shoaib Malik (4)
Most Dismissals
MS Dhoni (11)
Kamran Akmal (3)
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
India Team
India's main strength is its well-balanced team. There are some top Indian players in each category who are capable of helping their team win big games. The batting order of India is among the strongest in the world. On the other hand, bowling offers a wide range of options.
Read T20 World Cup: Super 12 stage begins today
The most vital factor is that each player has sufficient experience and is well aware of their role in the team. Indian cricketers may be exhausted after playing so much cricket in recent days. However, there is no doubt that led by Virat Kohli, they would want to shine in their own glory in the match against Pakistan.
Three impactful players of India
Rohit Sharma: T20I: 111 | Runs: 2,864 | HS: 118 | 50s: 22 | SR: 138.96
Virat Kohli: T20I: 90 | Runs: 3,159 | HS: 94* | 50s: 28 | SR: 139.04
Jasprit Bumrah: T20I: 50 | Wkts: 59 | BBI: 3/11 | Econ: 6.66 | SR: 18.20
Read Namibia reaches main draw at T20 World Cup for 1st time
Predicted Playing XI:
KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishab Pant (Wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar
Pakistan Team
There are a handful of aggressive batters in Pakistan. They are assisting Pakistan in winning games against big teams by exhibiting consistency in their play. Furthermore, as expected, the Pakistani have a formidable bowling attack. The opponent must find a strategy to resist Pakistan's bowling threat. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is one of the top batters in the world now.
Read Scotland and Bangladesh qualify for T20 World Cup Super 12
However, Babar has yet to find considerable success as a captain. So, he wants to do something exceptional at the Twenty20 World Cup 2021. Pakistan will want to overcome India to start the mission.
Three impactful players of Pakistan
Babar Azam: T20I: 61 | Runs: 2.204 | HS: 122 | 50s: 20 | SR: 130.64
Shoaib Malik: T20I: 116 | Runs: 2,335 | HS: 75 | SR: 124.20 | Wkts: 28 | BBI: 2/7 | SR: 19.90
Hasan Ali: T20I: 41 | Wkts: 52 | BBI: 4/18 | Econ: 8.29 | SR: 15.70
Read T20 WC: Bangladesh advance to Super 12s as Group B runners up
Predicted Playing XI:
Mohammad Rizwan (Wicket-keeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (Captain), Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf
Verdict
There will be a three-way battle in group 2 of the Super 12 round for a place in the semifinals of ICC T20 World Cup 2021. India, Pakistan, and New Zealand are the favorites of this group. So, the winner of the India-Pakistan match will surely get an advantage in the group. There won't be any margin for error in the race for the first knockout round.
Read Shakib takes most wickets in T20 WC to equal Afridi’s record
Both teams will be trying to get off to a strong start. India have a good record against Pakistan in T20Is and they will begin the contest as favorites. On the other hand, Pakistan performed well in its recent Twenty20 series. They will be ready to go all-out against their arch-rival India. There will surely be a massive battle on Sunday.
T20 World Cup: Curtis Campher creates history taking four in four
Curtis Campher of Ireland bagged four wickets in four consecutive deliveries against the Netherlands on Monday in their first match of the T20 World Cup in Oman.
Camphor, a right handed pacer became the first bowler in the history of the T20 World Cup to register this feat. However, he is only the third bowler after Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to take four wickets in four consecutive deliveries in T20Is.
It was only the second hattrick in T20 World Cup. The first was done by the Australian great pacer Brett Lee in 2007 against Bangladesh.
Also read: Blames on batters; Tigers look for a turnaround
The 22-year-old allrounder was born and brought up in South Africa. He also represented South Africa at the U-19 level. But he decided to leave his homeland and make Ireland a new home.
Campher got his first wicket removing Dutch batter Colin Ackermann off the second ball of the 10th over of the Netherlands’ innings. He then removed Ryan ten Doeschate, Scott Edwards, and Roelof van der Merwe off three consecutive deliveries.
One of these wickets was caught, but to take the other three, Campher didn’t take any help as they fell being lbw, lbw and bowled.
Also read: ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Shakib Al Hasan Reaches Three Unique Milestones
Ireland and the Netherlands are fighting in Group A of Round 1 in the T20 World Cup. They also have Sri Lanka and Namibia in the same group. After playing one game against each other, the top two teams of this group will advance to the Super 12s of the World Cup.
In Group B of Round 1, Bangladesh, Scotland, Oman and Papua New Guinea are fighting for the top spot in order to book a Super 12 berth. In the first two matches of this group, Oman beat Papua New Guinea, and Scotland upset the Tigers.
ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Major Takeaways from Bangladesh's Loss to Scotland
The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 Round will begin on October 23rd (Saturday). Qualifier teams must finish first or second in their respective groups to advance to the Super 12s. Bangladesh lost their opening encounter against Scotland, jeopardizing their chances of finishing first in the group. Bangladesh must win their remaining two matches against Oman and Papua New Guinea to finish second in the group. However, they will need to craft a smart plan for playing those matches. The major points from Bangladesh's loss to Scotland are addressed in this article.
Bangladesh's Defeat to Scotland: Key Takeaways
Bangladesh restricted Scotland to 140/9 in the allocated 20 overs after opting to bowl first. Bangladesh ended their innings with a total of 134/7, losing the match by 6 runs.
Bowling
Spinners will be key on this surface
Unlike in the recent home series, Captain Mahmudullah Riyad gave the ball to pacers to bowl the power play overs. The pacer trio fared well, limiting Scotland to 39 runs and picking up a wicket. However, Bangladesh could have picked even more wickets if Mahmudullah had chosen to begin the innings with two spinners. When the spinners came into play, the surface appeared to be a little more conducive to the slower bowlers.
Read ICC T20 Men’s World Cup 2021: 16 Captains to Watch
Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan and Mahedi Hasan bowled three overs apiece, stretching from seven to twelve overs, and each took two wickets. Scotland's batters struggled to negotiate both of them, and they were 55/6 at the end of 12 overs. Bangladesh were in a strong position at the time. However, Mark Watt and Chris Greaves put up a counter-attacking 51-run stand for the seventh wicket to change the scenario in Scotland's favor.
Key Point: Bangladesh should stick to its core strength and use more spinners in the upcoming matches.
Read Sri Lanka survives top order collapse to beat Namibia
Effective pace bowlers should use in the death overs
Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, and Mustafizur Rahman bowled Bangladesh's final four overs. They gave up a lot of runs and assisted Scotland in putting up a challenging score to defend.
Scotland were 96/6 after 16 overs but scored 44 runs in the next four overs. Bangladesh's quickest bowler, Taskin Ahmed went for 15 runs in the 18th over. He assisted Scotland in gaining momentum. Overall, Taskin yielded 28 runs in three overs, Mustafizur 32 runs in four overs, and Saifuddin 30 runs in four overs.
Read Bangladesh U-19 team suffer 2nd defeat against Sri Lanka
Bangladesh's fast bowlers showed that they were not well equipped for these types of surfaces, particularly in the final overs. They needed a better understanding as well as the necessary knowledge to succeed on these kinds of wickets. On a flat track, Taskin Ahmed could be costly, and skipper Riyad should avoid him in the final few overs.
Key Point: Spinners may be a viable choice for Mahmudullah to bowl the death overs. Pacers must bowl with pinpoint accuracy in order to bowl in the block-hole.
Read Bangladesh to take on Oman in crucial clash Tuesday
Batting
Bangladesh need an anchor batter to bat through the innings
There was some concern before the tournament about who would play the anchor role in the absence of Tamim Iqbal. This topic has come up again after the dismal loss to Scotland.
Both Bangladesh openers were dismissed within four overs, putting immense pressure on the middle order to maintain the run rates. One of the openers should have performed as the anchor for Bangladesh, carrying the innings to the end. Because this could relieve the pressure from the following batters.
Key Point: Liton Das can be an excellent choice to play the anchor role as he is more sensible than the others.
Read ‘Heart destroyed seeing two defeats yesterday’: Mashrafe
Experienced players must rediscover their best form
Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim batted in the middle for a while and put on a 47-run stand for the third wicket. However, they were both far from their best and need to improve in the coming matches. Otherwise, Bangladesh would be in much more difficulties at crucial moments.
Key Point: The form of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan will be crucial for Bangladesh.
Late Middle orders must learn how to finish the game
Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, and Mohammad Saifuddin batted in the match. They tried some big shots but were unable to complete the task. Most of the players were caught in the boundary line. Afif Hossain was in excellent form and he needed to be moved up the batting order.
Read T20 World Cup: Curtis Campher creates history taking four in four
Key Point: Big hitters must develop the ability to finish games.
Way Forward
After analyzing the key reasons behind Bangladesh's defeat to Scotland, it's apparent that the batters struggled in this match. Bowlers also gave up a lot of runs in the death overs. The team management must address those issues in order to play well in the remaining two qualifying matches of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Bangladesh will face Oman at the same venue on Tuesday (October 19). This will, without a doubt, be a do-or-die contest for team Tigers.
Read ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Major Takeaways from Bangladesh's Loss to Scotland
ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Shakib Al Hasan Reaches Three Unique Milestones
Bangladesh's ICC T20 World Cup 2021 campaign began with a devastating loss against an inspiring Scotland side. However, ace all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan was excellent with the ball and snatched two important wickets. He broke one record and completed two separate accomplishments during the contest thanks to the two wickets. Shakib has taken his brilliant cricket career to new heights after achieving these milestones. Here we will highlight the feats of Shakib in Bangladesh's World Cup opening match.
Shakib Al Hasan Sets Three New Records
Shakib Al Hasan has attained a notable number of successes in his nearly two-decade international cricket career. His amazing consistency has propelled him to greatness on the international stage. Take a look at the records he earned during Bangladesh's match against Scotland.
Highest Wicket-Taker in T20I
The world's best all-rounder Shakib was just two wickets away from being the top wicket-taker in T20I cricket before the Bangladesh vs. Scotland match. The brilliant left-arm spinner eclipsed Lasith Malinga's (107) record after taking the wickets of Richie Berrington and Michael Leask. Shakib delivered yet another outstanding bowling effort, finishing his spell with 4-0-17-2.
Read: Shakib becomes highest-wicket taker in T20Is
Currently, the top Bangladeshi all-rounder has 108 T20I wickets at a superb average of 20.46 from 89 matches. On the other hand, Lasith Malinga ended his 84-match T20I career with 107 wickets at an average of 20.79.
The top five wicket-takers in T20I (as of October 17, 2021)
Player
Matches
Wkts
BBI
Ave
Econ
SR
5W
Shakib Al Hasan
89
108
5/20
20.46
6.70
18.3
1
Lasith Malinga
84
107
5/6
20.79
7.42
16.8
2
Tim Southee
83
99
5/18
25.17
8.39
18.0
1
Shahid Afridi
99
98
4/11
24.44
6.63
22.1
0
Rashid Khan
51
95
5/3
12.63
6.21
12.1
2
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
First Bangladesh player to amass 600 international wickets
Prior to this match, Shakib Al Hasan was just two wickets away from being the first Bangladeshi player to achieve the 600-wicket mark in international cricket. He became the first Bangladeshi player to amass 600 wickets on the international arena (across all formats) after taking two wickets in Bangladesh's opening match of ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
Read Blames on batters; Tigers look for a turnaround
Among active players, he is presently the sixth most wicket-takers. Shakib has 600 international wickets at an average of 28.40 in 362 appearances for Bangladesh. The renowned off-spinner from Sri Lanka, Muthiah Muralidaran is presently in first place with an astounding 1347 international wickets at an average of 22.86.
Top five most international wickets (active players)
Player
Matches
Wkts
BBI
Ave
Econ
SR
5W
James Anderson
379
919
7/42
27.46
3.30
49.8
33
Stuart Broad
326
767
8/15
27.95
3.46
48.4
19
Ravi Ashwin
236
615
7/59
26.46
3.40
46.6
30
Tim Southee
305
603
7/33
29.70
4.00
44.5
16
Shakib Al Hasan
362
600
7/36
28.40
3.87
43.9
22
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
600 Wickets & 12,000 Runs on the International Stage
Notable cricketer Shakib has accomplished some exclusive records that no one else could achieve yet. He became the first player in international cricket history to take 600 wickets and score 12,000 runs. Jack Kallis of South Africa achieved 25,000 international runs but fell short of capturing 600 international wickets by 23 wickets.
Players with 500+ Wickets and 10,000+ International Runs
Player
Matches
Wkts
BBI
Avg
Runs
HS
Avg
Shakib Al Hasan
362
600
7/36
28.40
12,316
217
34.98
Jack Kallis
519
577
6/54
32.14
25,534
224
49.10
Shahid Afridi
524
541
7/12
32.78
11,196
156
23.92
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read:T20 World Cup 2021: Five Bangladesh players to watch out for
Bottom Line
Shakib Al Hasan's achievements have been overshadowed by Bangladesh's loss against Scotland. The all-rounder would have been more pleased if Bangladesh had won the contest. However, no one can deny that he has made significant contributions to the development of Bangladesh cricket. Hopefully, Shakib's form in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021 should encourage Bangladesh to advance to the Super 12 round.
T20 World Cup: Tigers brought crashing down to earth by clinical Scots
Fighting every step of the way after at one stage looking down and completely out of the contest in their first match of the T20 World Cup, Scotland upset Bangladesh by six runs on Sunday at Muscat, Oman with a performance worthy of Braveheart.
Coming on the back of two official warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Ireland that they also lost, it completed an ignominious hattrick of defeats for the Bangladesh team, on their first assignment overseas following a dominant home season against Australia and New Zealand, where the uniquely unsporting pitches raised eyebrows among various quarters, as to whether they could provide the kind of preparation necessary for an apex event such the ICC's T20 World Cup.
More than one BCB official had sung the hymn of 'confidence-building' at that - the flawed belief that simply getting some wins under your belt can help you stand taller in your following matches. But when the players themselves are well aware of the part played by the dreadful pitches in those wins, any confident posture accruing from those results is likely to be false, at best.
Sunday's match was only the second T20I between these two teams, and Scotland have now won both. For the first hour or so of the game though, the Tigers did look the part.
Chris Greaves displayed a remarkable performance both with bat and ball. He scored 45 off 28 balls and bagged two wickets conceding 19 runs in three overs. He played a pivotal role for Scotland to upset the Tigers.
To chase down the target of 141 in 20 overs, Bangladesh needed 54 in the last five overs, but they failed to achieve that. The onus was on Afif Hossain and Mahmudullah Riayd, but they couldn’t play their roles well.
Bangladesh’s hope was on Nurul Hasan Sohan as well. He has the ability to play big shots at the death overs. But on Sunday, he was haunted by Bradley Wheal thanks to a wonderful acrobatic catch by Calum MacLeod at the boundary.
Read: Mahedi takes career-best 3/19 in first T20 World Cup match
T20 World Cup: Scotland post a moderate total of 140 vs Bangladesh
Scotland posted a moderate total of 140 for nine in 20 overs against Bangladesh on Sunday at Muscat. It was the first match of the T20 World Cup for both teams.
Mahmudullah Riyad won the toss and sent Scotland in to bat first.
Bangladesh made the better start as with the score on 5/0, Mohammad Saifuddin removed Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer for a duck in the third over.
They recovered a bit though, and in the powerplay, Scotland scored 39 losing one wicket. In the last over of the powerplay, Mustafizur Rahman conceded 13 runs with a four and a six.
Read: T20 World Cup 2021: Five Bangladesh players to watch out for in the tournament
T20 World Cup: Saifuddin bags Bangladesh’s first wicket
Coming to bowl at number three over, allrounder Mohammad Saifuddin bagged Bangladesh’s first wicket in the T20 World Cup 2021.
Bangladesh are taking on Scotland in their first Round 1 match on Sunday at Muscat Oman.
It was Kyle Coetzer, the Scotland captain, who was removed by Saifuddin. The right-handed pacer bowled a terrific delivery right in the blockhole. The batter tried to drive it away through the off side but missed the ball which has shattered his off stump.
Read: T20 World Cup 2021: Five Bangladesh players to watch out for in the tournament
Scotland were at five when they lost the first wicket of the match.
Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first. Taskin Ahmed started the innings giving only four runs in the first over while Mustafizur Rahman came at number two and gave away only one.
Read: Tigers to put onus on skill over power: Mahmudullah on eve of T20 WC
At the end of the fifth over, Scotland were batting at 26 for one with George Munsey was unbeaten for 19 off 16.