T20 World Cup: Bangladesh look to finish group stage on a high vs PNG

The T20 World Cup heads towards the end of group stage and who qualifies for the Super 12 from the Group B is still unclear. Bangladesh, ranked third on the table, face wooden spoon holders Papua New Guinea at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket on Thursday.

The Bangla Tigers have won one game and lost one in the group stage so far. Coming off a stunning loss to Scotland in their opener, Mahmudullah and company gained some confidence in their triumph versus hosts Oman. It was the likes of their most experienced all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan who led the way. The 34-year-old picked three wickets and scored 42 runs in the 26-run win. Opener Mohammad Naim scored 64 runs.

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Their bowlers were led by Mustafizur Rahman and put up an impressive show against Oman and the left-arm seamer, who claimed a four-for, would like to continue from where he had left on Tuesday. Off-break bowler Mahedi Hasan would also be keen to dismantle the opposition batters.

 Al Hasan would be crucial for the Asian side. He has been among the runs and wickets and he could pose a serious challenge to the PNG batters on a track that is conducive for spinners.

Bangladesh will need a win to keep their chances of making it to the Super12 alive, as they only have two points from two games, and are placed third with a net run-rate of +0.500.

A win against Papua New Guinea will give them two crucial points and then they would also hope that Oman lose their final game against Scotland, who have already qualified from the group, to ensure their passage into the next stage.

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“We need to improve in a lot of areas, but I’ll take the win. Delivering the win for the country is the most important thing and I hope they are happy,” Mahmudullah said ahead of the game. 

On the other hand, Papua New Guinea lost both their games against Oman (by 10 wickets) and Scotland (by 17 runs) and are already out of contention. They would want to sign off the tournament on a positive note.

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Squads:

Bangladesh Squad: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Mahedi Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan(w), Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah(c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Shamim Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar

Papua New Guinea Squad: Tony Ura, Lega Siaka, Assad Vala(c), Charles Amini, Sese Bau, Simon Atai, Norman Vanua, Kiplin Doriga(w), Chad Soper, Nosaina Pokana, Kabua Morea, Hiri Hiri, Gaudi Toka, Jason Kila, Damien Ravu, Jack Gardner