Like Sri Lanka on Thursday, Bangladesh were given a scare by UAE before their efficient bowling attack led the hosts to an easy win in Mirpur. Mahmudullah’s last-gasp effort with the bat and two wickets were backed up by Mustafizur Rahman and Mashrafe Mortaza. Their wickets shook the opposition’s confidence to a point from which they never recovered.
The win keeps the hosts alive in the Asia Cup, but they would have liked a more comfortable path to picking up the two points. They collapsed from 72 for 1 in the tenth over to 133 for 8, and it was their bowling that proved to be too strong for a spirited UAE, who became the first side to be bowled out by Bangladesh in a chase.
Collapsing from 74 for 1 to be restricted to 133 for 8, it was Bangladesh’s bowling that turned it on and proved to be too strong for a spirited UAE who became the first side to be bowled out by Bangladesh in a T20 chase.
Except for the first nine odd overs in the Bangladesh innings, batting didn’t seem easy. The Bangladesh batsmen committed one mistake after another before UAE struggled for 17.4 overs in their chase.
UAE’s pursuit of 134 began ominously when Soumya Sarkar dropped a simple chance off Rohan Mustafa’s bat in the first over. Al-Amin Hossain removed Muhammad Kaleem in the next over and Mustafa survived another chance in the fourth over when Mustafizur Rahman was judged to have grounded the ball in his attempt to take a return catch.
Mustafa fell to Mashrafe Mortaza in the next over, caught at short third-man, Mustafizur completing the simpler catch. Shaiman Anwar was well caught at point by Mahmudullah in Mashrafe’s next over before it was Mustafizur’s turn to take a brace in one over.
He first took a simple return catch with an off-cutter that left Mohammad Shahzad dumb-founded. Next ball, Swapnil Patil did the same thing, the only difference was that his top-edge carried to mid-on where Mashrafe took an easy catch.
The chase spun out of control for UAE. Their captain Amjad Javed slipped on to his stumps in the 11th over before newcomer Fahad Tariq ran past a slow Shakib Al Hasan delivery and was stumped by Nurul Hasan. Saqlain Haider drove Mahmudullah straight to cover as they sank to 55 for 8 in the 13th over. Muhammad Usman resisted briefly before he, too, edged one on to his stumps after a run-a-ball 30 that included two fours and as many sixes.
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