Defending champions, the West Indies kept their Men’s ICC Twenty/20 Cricket World Cup semi-final hopes alive with a tense three-run Group 1 win over Bangladesh in Sharjah yesterday.
Chasing 143 to win, Bangladesh needed 13 from the final over and worked that down to four from the final ball.
Captain, Mahmudullah missed that last delivery, and Bangladesh suffered a third straight loss to be all-but eliminated.
Earlier West Indies limped to 48-3 from 10 overs before making 142-7 thanks to Nicholas Pooran’s 40 off 22 balls including 1 four and 4 sixes.
Bangladesh could still make the last four if either England or Australia, who are meeting today, win all five of their group matches, and then other results leave the other five teams all on four points.
Net run-rate would then decide the second semi-finalist, but with Bangladesh’s currently at -1.069 it is extremely unlikely they’ll be able to progress.
Here is how the final over unfolded yesterday:
First ball: Afif Hossain scoops Andre Russell for two to leave 11 required from five balls.
Second ball: Hossain misses but they scamper a bye as the ball goes through to wicket-keeper, Pooran to leave 10 needed from four balls.
Third ball: Russell gets a yorker on target. Mahmudullah digs it out to mid-on and they scamper two runs. Bangladesh need eight runs from three balls.
Fourth ball: Mahmudullah flicks to deep square leg where substitute fielder, Andre Fletcher drops the catch and allowed Bangladesh to score two more runs. Six needed from two balls.
Fifth ball: Mahmudullah digs out another yorker and a misfield allows them to get two more to leave four needed from the final ball.
Sixth ball: Russell executes another yorker and Mahmudullah attempts to slog to the leg-side but misses and Pooran cleanly gathers behind the stumps. No run. The West Indies win by 3 runs.
The Final scores: The West Indies 142-7 off 20 overs, Bangladesh 139-5 off 20 overs.
