Tigers leap into Super Ten

Bangladesh qualified for Super Ten, will face Pakistan on March 15, Wednesday at Kolkata at 3:30pm local time after thrashing Oman by 54 runs at Dharamsala today.

Chasing 181 to win, Oman were never in the game and the rain breaks compounded the problem for the associate nation. They lost wickets in a heap after the second delay, and the revised target was never in Oman’s crosshairs.

For Bangladesh, Shakib wrapped up the game quickly with his four wickets for 15 runs in three overs. Taskin, Al-Amin, Mashrafe and Sabbir picked up a wicket each.

Tamim Iqbal was the man-of-the-match for his historic knock. He became the first Bangladeshi to hit a century in T20I cricket. He was 103 not out from 63 balls.

For Oman, their batting failed to fire collectively, and Jatinder Singh managed to score the highest for his team with 25 runs.

Oman lost their ninth wicket in the 12th over, when Sabbir sent back Lalcheta for one run to the delight of Bangladesh fans.

Heavy rain came back after 8.2 overs, and forced the players and match officials to leave the field.

Shakib picked up his first wicket before rain came back. He dismissed Aamir Kaleem for a three-ball duck in the ninth over. Kaleem tried to sweep but the ball lobbed off the glove to the keeper.

Oman reeling…

Oman lost their third wicket in the 8th over after the rain-break, as Adnan Ilyas was run out for 13 runs. Adnan was sent back by his partner when he took off for a single, and Soumya didn’t miss the stumps from backward point.

When play resumed after the rain delay, Oman faced a revised target of 152 runs off 16 overs.

Rain stopped play after seven overs into Oman’s chase, and the umpires called for covers as the players jogged off the field.

Oman well behind the D/L par score. Par score after seven overs is 60.

Oman lost their second wicket in the fourth over and were tottering in their chase with runs hard to come by.

Al-Amin took his first wicket of the game when Khawar Ali lobbed an easy catch to Mashrafe at mid-on. Khawar mis-timed his shot and managed eight runs from 14 balls.

Bangladesh got their first breakthrough in the first over of Oman chase when Taskin sent back Zeeshan Maqsood to the pavilion for a two-ball duck.

Maqsood tried to slog away the fullish delivery on middle but the ball flew to third man off the leading edge where Mahmudullah was waiting.

Earlier, Bangladesh reached 180, their 4th highest total thanks to the first century in T20I cricket by Tamim Iqbal against Oman under the lights at Dharamsala today.

It was an occasion when history was made as Tamim Iqbal became the first batsman from Bangladesh to score a century in T20Is, and remained unbeaten on 103 runs. He faced only 63 balls and smashed 10 fours and five sixes during his fabulous knock.

With Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim was instrumental in the third wicket unbroken stand of 41 in four overs, and both of them scored quickly during the death overs. Shakib was 17 not out from nine balls.

For Oman, Ajay Lalcheta and Khawar Ali took a wicket each.

Bangladesh lost their second wicket in the 16th over, not after a splendid stand for the second wicket that yielded 97 runs in 9.1 overs between Tamim and Sabbir. Sabbir fell against the run of play.

Oman Khawar Ali stopped Sabbir’s entertaining knock at 44. The Tigers batter faced only 25 balls, and smashed five fours and a six during his stay at the wicket.

Bangladesh looked good for a huge total as superb hitting late in the innings from Sabbir and especially Tamim delighted Tigers fans home and abroad.

The dynamic duo racked up 86 runs in 8 overs, and upped the ante when needed.

Tamim Iqbal reached his fifth half-century in T20Is in the 12th over when he struck Aamir Kaleem for a four. It took Tamim 35 balls to reach the milestone.

Bangladesh lost their first wicket that of Soumya Sarkar in the seventh over as the Tigers opener dragged the ball onto his stumps.

Soumya’s painful stay at the crease lasted 22 balls, and he managed to score 12 runs with two streaky boundaries. He played and missed so many times that it became impossible to keep a count.

The opening stand of Bangladesh produced 42 runs in 6.5 overs.

Bangladesh openers began on a steady note as Oman new ball bowlers didn’t err in line or length too often and kept Tamim and Soumya honest.

Tamim was more fluent than his partner, but found the ball turning appreciably, and the pitch wasn’t too easy to bat on.

Oman captain Sultan Ahmed called it correctly when the coin was tossed and invited Bangladesh led by Mashrafe Mortaza to bat first in qualifying match of ICC World T20 2016 at Dharamsala under the lights.

Bangladesh will desperately look for a full-length game from the point of view that a curtailed-over game takes the contest of two unequal opponents to a level of equal proportions.

And this was rightly portrayed by former Sri Lankan batsman-turned commentator Russel Arnold when he said: "A curtailed-over match always brings in the risk-factor for the big teams."

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Oman would rely on Zeeshan Maqsood and Khawar Ali to power them upfront, to give Jatinder Singh and Amir Ali an opportunity to lend the finishing touches. Ajay Lalcheta and Munis Ansari, whose action resembles Lasith Malinga's, will be key if Oman are to restrict Bangladesh's in-form batting unit.

That could be a herculean task if Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman tee off like they did against Ireland in eight overs before the rain came. Tamim, in particular, looks in fine touch, having made an unbeaten 83 and 47 against Netherlands and Ireland respectively.

Sarkar and Sabbir would want to prolong their stay in the middle to take the pressure off the slightly out-of-touch Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan.

Bangladesh are likely to field the same eleven against Oman that featured in their abandoned game against Ireland, where Mohammad Mithun came in for Nasir Hossain and Arafat Sunny paved the way for young left-arm pacer Abu Hider Rony.

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Although the obvious question at the pre-match briefing was whether there was a chance for Mustafizur Rahman, now nursing a side strain, to play the final qualifier, Bangladesh's bowling coach Heath Streak, who attended the briefing, rejected the idea.

“No, not yet. We are still working on him. He has been in his rehab programme. We can't give any timeline. He might feel alright when he wakes up tomorrow [Sunday] but that is unlikely,” said the former Zimbabwe all-rounder.

Oman are a team Bangladesh have never played before. Streak echoed Tigers captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's sentiment when he said that his team would play their own game instead of focusing on what the other team are doing.

There's more rain on the radar on Sunday. But despite being under covers for a long time on Friday, the pitch played well in the Bangladesh-Ireland game, though the bowlers preferred slower variations.

Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (Wicketkeeper), Mohammad Mithun, Mashrafe Mortaza (Captain), Abu Hider, Taskin Ahmed and Al-Amin Hossain

Oman

Zeeshan Maqsood, Khawar Ali, Jatinder Singh, Adnan Ilyas, Aamir Kaleem, Sultan Ahmed (Captain and Wicketkeeper), Mehran Khan, Amir Ali, AV Lalcheta, M Ansari and Bilal Khan