Bangladesh secures final spot in Super Eight with win over Nepal

KINGSTOWN: Bangladesh clinched the final spot in the Super Eight phase of the Twenty20 World Cup with a decisive 21-run victory over Nepal on Sunday. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto led his team into Group 1 of the Super Eight, joining India, Australia, and Afghanistan following their triumph in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Pace bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib was the star of the match, taking four wickets for just seven runs. Nepal struggled against his formidable bowling, collapsing to 85 all out in 19.2 overs while chasing Bangladesh’s modest total of 106 from 19.3 overs on a bowler-friendly Caribbean pitch.

Shanto commended his bowlers for their performance in another low-scoring encounter. “We are not scoring much but we know we can defend low totals if we can pick up early wickets,” he said.

Elsewhere, former champions Sri Lanka ended their campaign with an 83-run win over the Netherlands in St Lucia, though it was not enough to advance. Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, and Angelo Matthews propelled Sri Lanka to 201 for six, a target that proved insurmountable for the Dutch, who were bowled out for 118 in 16.4 overs.

“After bad first two games this win is very healthy for us,” said Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga. “The wicket was really good, we just wanted to put a 160-170 score on this wicket.”