Rishad and Fizz took game away from Netherlands: Shakib

Bangladesh ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan credited the bowling efforts of Rishad Hossain and Mustafizur “Fizz” Rahman behind their 25-run victory against the Netherlands on Thursday that helped the Tigers edge closer to the second round of the T20 World Cup. 

At the Arnos Vale Stadium in Kingstown, Shakib hit an undefeated 64 and was ultimately adjudged Player of the Match but the veteran all-rounder reserved all the praises for the bowlers during the post-match presentation.

Shakib, the 37-year-old former captain, recorded his 13th fifty in the format as Bangladesh made 159 for five in their 20 overs that was good enough for a spirited Bangladesh bowling attack to defend.

“It was important for someone from top four to bat through the innings. Happy to contribute. It was a tough pitch at the start; we held our nerves. It was a challenging total, not a winning one, but bowlers chipped in perfectly,” said Shakib, who joined the likes of Chris Gayle, Mahela Jayawardene and Virat Kohli to become the eighth batter to tally 800 runs in the competition.

The Dutch were in a decent position at 111-3 in reply, but leg-spinner Rishad struck a double blow in the 15th over to turn the momentum in Tigers’ favour. Rishad remained the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with 3-33 from his four overs, while Mustafizur produced a economical masterclass. bowling a staggering 17 dot deliveries to end up with figures of 4-0-12-1.

“Rishad and Fizz took it away from Netherlands. Hardly any international game was played in the last four-five years here. So, we didn’t know what a good score was and had to keep wickets till 14-15 overs and take it from there,” he continued.

“160 in a WC game is always tricky. Netherlands had their moments, 10 runs an over on this ground in the last 7-8 overs, wind going in one way, made it tough to defend. But credit to bowlers for pulling it off,” Shakib concluded.

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