Day 5 Talking points: Skippers Mahmud Ullah, Coetzer put on a show

Bangladesh and Scotland sealed their places in the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. Here are the talking points from the games.

Coetzer comes to the party

Scotland skipper Kyle Coetzer has been integral to defining the team’s positive playing style and culture over the past few years. However, he had a quiet start to the tournament, making just 0 and 6 in the first two games. In this must-win match against Oman, chasing a modest but tricky target of 123, he took the responsibility on himself to knock off the runs.

Having overcome an issue with his arm, he was initially circumspect as fellow-opener George Munsey led the charge. Once Munsey fell, he took over, muscling sixes into the stands in back-to-back overs. The biggest of those was 93m. He fell short of a fifty, but not before adding a crucial 41 off 28 balls.

Horror run-out rocks Oman

Oman opener Jatinder Singh has enjoyed his time at this T20 World Cup, following up an unbeaten 73 in the first game with 40 last time against Bangladesh. However, in this crucial match against Scotland, he faced just one ball and was out for a duck after a mix-up in the middle.

On the second ball of the match, he nudged to mid-on and set off for a single. However, his partner Aaqib Ilyas, having initially set off, quickly turned back, leading to a situation where both batters found themselves at the same end.

The fielder Mark Watt threw the ball to the wicketkeeper and Matt Cross had all the time to complete the run-out.

Even a few months ago, the Oman Cricket Academy Grounds weren’t the lush green facilities that hosted Group B of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. But thanks to the efforts of the national association and the authorities, and their passion for cricket, the squads of Bangladesh, Scotland, PNG and Oman were met with excellent facilities and welcoming fans at Al Amerat.

The visiting teams have had nothing but praise for the facilities, and although the home side stumbled in the final match of the tournament at the venue, it was a week to remember for the local fans and the players.

Exceptional catching by Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh

PNG were extraordinary in the field with their catching and made it look easy doing it. In fact, all seven Bangladesh wickets that fell on the day were out caught.

Sese Bau set the tone in just the second ball of the innings, taking a terrific catch tumbling back at deep square to dismiss Mohammad Naim for a duck.

Damien Ravu was not going to be left far behind with his well-judged catch at the end of the innings to remove Afif Hossain.

But it was the catch by Charles Amini to send Shakib Al Hasan back to the hut four short of his fifty that was the best of the innings. Stationed at long-on, Amini had to bolt to his right before lunging forward to catch the ball barely inches off the ground.

Bangladesh were themselves impressive on the field. Wicketkeeper Nurul Hossain grabbed a one-handed stunner down the leg before Mohammad Naim took a spectacular diving catch just inside the boundary to dismiss Amini.

Mahmud Ullah blitzkrieg propels Bangladesh

After a sluggish 22-ball 23 in the loss against Scotland and quick innings against Oman, Mahmud Ullah saved the best for when the team needed it the most.

Walking in at a time when Bangladesh were struggling to score big, a six off just his fourth ball set the pace for the rest of the Bangladesh innings. He also ensured that Shakib’s wicket did not derail the momentum.

He changed the course of the innings in the 16th over when he smashed Chad Soper for two sixes and a four en route his fifty, which set the platform for the rest of the batters to go big in the death overs.

Bangladesh turn up when it matters

Bangladesh were under tremendous pressure after losing the first game against Scotland and could have been eliminated had they lost against Oman in their second game, or to PNG in their third.

So, in a must-win situation, the Tigers showed why they are ranked sixth in the world in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings.

In the first innings, the under-fire batting bounced back in the second half of the innings after PNG stifled them in the opening exchange. The usual suspects, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmud Ullah, put their hands up when it looked like PNG were taking control of the game.

Then, in the second innings, Bangladesh truly showed their class, skittling PNG out for just 97 to book a place in the Super 12.