Bangladesh beat Nepal by 21 runs and qualified for the Super 8 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 on Monday at the Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent.
Chasing a target of 107 runs, Nepal were bowled out for 85 in 19.2 overs.
Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mustafizur Rahman finished with superb figures of 4-7 and 3-7, respectively, to get their side over the line.
"We just wanted to keep things simple. We wanted to bowl in good areas and did not want to panic. We knew we could defend this score. Everybody bowled well. As a bowling attack, we bowled well and that is why we defended the score. I just want to be aggressive and execute my plans," Tanzim said after being named Player of the Match.
"We are really excited for the Super Eight. We are very confident about it and hopefully (we can do well). Spin-bowling was tough, and it was not easy to get those runs. We held our lines and lengths, and it worked," he added.
Kushal Malla scored 27 runs, while Dipendra Singh Airee added 25 runs for Nepal.
Earlier, Nepal won the toss and decided to field first against Bangladesh during a crucial Group D match.
Batting first, Bangladesh were bundled out for 106 in 19.3 overs.
Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee, Rohit Paudel and Sandeep Lamichhane claimed two wickets each in a clinical bowling display by Nepal.
Bangladesh kept losing wickets at regular intervals as their innings remained bereft of momentum. Shakib Al Hasan was the top scorer with 17 runs in 22 balls.
The shot selection by Bangladesh batters left a lot to be desired throughout the innings.
Teams:
Nepal XI: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel (c), Anil Sah, Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Sundeep Jora, Sandeep Lamichhane, Abinash Bohara
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Litton Das (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
