Scotland held their nerves to record a famous victory against Bangladesh, having been reduced to 53/6 in the first innings.
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Fans were in for a shock on the very first day of the ICC men’s T20 world cup as Scotland beat Bangladesh by six runs on Sunday. The Bangla Tigers were the strong favourites heading into the match. They had recently inflicted a hefty series defeat upon Australia, but it was just not their day. The Scots had made a decent total of 140-9 and their opponents could only manage to make 134-7 in 20 overs. The stars on the day for Scotland certainly were Chris Greaves and Brad Wheal. While Wheal contributed immensely with the ball, Greaves delivered a brilliant all-round performance. What makes this result an incredible one is the fact that Bangladesh currently are ranked sixth in the world in the shortest format of the game, ahead of the likes of Australia and West Indies.
The batting display by the Bangla Tigers will be a huge concern for skipper Mahmadullah. Veterans Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim built a partnership but it was just not quick enough to help their team’s cause. Shakib scored 20 runs off 28 deliveries while Mushfiqur scored 38 runs off 36 balls.
Skipper Mahmadullah played a decent knock as he scored 23 runs off 22 balls. Afif Hossain and Mahedi Hasan played impressive cameos but they were not enough to get the team over the line. Afif made 18 runs off 12 deliveries while Mahedi scored 13 off five.
Scotland can thank Greaves and Wheal for their outstanding victory in their first match of the tournament. Wheal picked three wickets in four overs and only conceded 24 runs. Greaves bagged a couple of wickets in three overs and gave away just 19 runs. Josh Davey and Mark Watt picked one wicket each as well.
There was a time during the first innings when it seemed like Scotland would not even make it to 100 runs. They were 53-6 and things seemed quite gloomy for the team. However, an incredible innings by Greaves, who scored 45 runs off just 28 deliveries, saw Scotland get to 140. Greaves was extremely well supported by Mark Watt who made 22 runs off 17 balls. Opener George Munsey also played a good knock, scoring 29 runs off 23 deliveries.
Mahedi was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers as he bagged three wickets in four overs for just 19 runs. Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman picked a couple of wickets each. Taskin Ahmed and Mohammad Saifuddin got one wicket each.
Oman scripted history in the earlier match on the day when they beat Papua New Guinea by a margin of 10 wickets. Papua New Guinea had recorded a score of 129-9 in 20 overs and Oman made 131-0 in 13.4 overs. Their chase of 130 against Papua New Guinea is the highest ever in a T20 World Cup to be completed without losing a wicket It was a statement of intent from the victors and they will be hoping to take this form into their next fixture.
The Oman openers both reached their half-centuries as they trounced Papua New Guinea. Aqib Ilyas scored an unbeaten 50 runs off 43 deliveries and his opening partner Jatinder Singh remained not out on 73. Singh had only taken 42 balls to reach the score and he hit seven boundaries and four maximums.
Oman skipper Zeeshan Maqsood did an exceptional job with the ball on the day as he picked four wickets in four overs and conceded only 20 runs. Bilal Khan and Kaleemullah picked a couple of wickets each.
Despite the crushing loss, there are a few positives Papua New Guinea can take from the match. Their skipper, Assad Vala played a fine knock as he scored 56 runs off just 43 deliveries. He was well-supported by Charles Amini who scored 36 runs off 26 balls.
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