NEW DELHI:
Bangladesh
's star all-rounder
Shakib Al Hasan
praised his team's bowlers for their crucial role in securing a 25-run victory against the
Netherlands
in the ongoing
ICC T20 World Cup
2024 at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Despite acknowledging that their total of 159 runs was not a winning score, Shakib commended the bowlers for "chipping in perfectly" to secure the win.
The victory was a significant one for Bangladesh, as it kept their hopes alive of qualifying for the Super 8 stage of the tournament. The win also resulted in the elimination of former champions
Sri Lanka
from Group D.
Bangladesh now occupy the second position in the group rankings, having earned two critical points.
Shakib played a vital role in the team's success, scoring an unbeaten 64 from 46 balls to help Bangladesh post a competitive total of 159/5. He emphasized the importance of a top-order batsman batting through the innings on a challenging wicket.
According to ANI, Shakib also praised the performances of young leg-spinner
Rishad Hossain
and experienced pacer
Mustafizur Rahman
, who took crucial wickets and kept the Netherlands' batsmen in check.
"It was important for someone from the top four to bat throughout the innings. Happy with the way I contributed with the bat. It wasn't an easy wicket at the start of the innings. We held our nerves, put on a decent total. I won't say it was a winning total, but it was a challenging total. Bowlers chipped in perfectly, especially the Fizz and Rishad. Those two bowlers took the game away from the Netherlands," Shakib said in post-match presentation.
The all-rounder admitted that the team was unsure about what constituted a good score on the wicket, given the lack of international matches played at the venue in recent years. However, he credited the bowlers for holding their nerves and restricting the Netherlands, despite the opposition having their moments during the chase.
"Hardly any international game has been played in the last 4-5 years, so we didn't know what's a good score. That's why we had to keep our wickets in hand and see where we are at maybe 14-15th over and then decide how far we can go. It was a decent total, we put the runs on the board. 160 in a WC game is always tricky and that proved. They had their moments, at the 12th over, they were 80 or 90 for three. Ten runs an over in this wicket, wind going one way, it wasn't easy for us to restrict them. Credit should go to all the bowlers the way they bowled, they held their nerves," he added.
Bangladesh will face Nepal in their final group match at the Arnos Vale Ground on Monday, as they continue their quest to secure a place in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup.
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