BY NISAR KHAN
With the third day of action commencing in the Twenty20 World Cup, the hosts Bangladesh got back-to-back wins, while it was the opposite for Hong Kong in Group A. Plus, England were in action against West Indies.
 |
| England suffered another setback in their warm-up match against the West Indies. AFP / GETTY IMAGES |
Bangladesh edged even closer to the World Cup main draw as the hosts comfortably dispatched Nepal for the second win in the group.
There was yet another vibrant crowd as masses of support flowed out for the Group A toppers, with an eight-wicket emphatic victory.
The game was wrapped up with 27 balls to spare, and Bangladesh won the game in some style as Shakib Al-Hassan slogged it over the boundary for a game-winning six.
After Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl, Nepal were restricted to a subdued score of 126, headlined by 41 runs from Paras Khadka and Sharad Vesawkar added 40 to the total.
An excellent bowling display by the hosts was topped by Al-Amin Hossain’s 17-2 figures and was key in blockading any further Nepal scoring in the final over.
However, Nepal’s hopes were hindered early with opening batsman Khakurel scoring 8 and Pun & Malla were out within three balls, scoring just 25 between them.
The game was won not only on first impressions but less than 10 overs in with a really strong opening bat. Haque was scoring boundaries at ease with Iqbal before he was out in the 11th over, and by that time Bangladesh had their foot in the doorstep of victory – and more importantly, in the progression to the Super 10 stage.
Hong Kong were eliminated from the qualifiers as Afghanistan outplayed them to win by seven wickets, and more importantly, kept their hopes of qualification alive.
An astonishing knock from Shafiullah with 51 runs from 24 balls meant that Afghanistan would beat Hong Kong’s 153 runs with two overs to spare.
Hong Kong put on a decent batting performance though, as they put on a decent total of 152, with the biggest contributor being Mark Chapman’s 38 runs as Hong Kong elected to bat.
Shapoor Zadran and Mohammad Nabi both got 27-2 with impressive bowling displays, a key part of halting Hong Kong’s momentum as they looked to conjure up an unbeatable total.
Hong Kong are out, but Afghanistan remain in and their fortunes could turn with a Bangladesh loss and them winning on Thursday.
West Indies continued their hot form going into the tournament, along with wiping away any doubt that came from their under-par loss to England as they overpowered the Three Lions with a remarkable display from Gayle.
The loss brought about more doubt and misery for England, who are still shaken up from a humiliating Ashes loss over Christmas.
West Indies left a generous 23 balls to spare but were much less generous in there wicket taking making for a comfortable 7-wicket victory.
As we near the Super 10 phase of the tournament, West Indies go in on a hot streak while Bangladesh are close to joining them. However, with Afghanistan’s win, Group A is all but over.
Connect With Us!
/**/
TheSportMatrix.com 