T20 World Cup, Bangladesh vs Nepal: Match preview and stats
Bangladesh will take on Nepal in a crucial Match 37 of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent on June 17. Stakes are high as the Tigers will go through the Super 8s with a win in this fixture. Nepal, meanwhile, have nothing but pride to play for. Here is the match preview.
Pitch report and other details
Batters have had a hard time at this venue as Nepal restricted the dashing South Africa batting unit to 115 here a few days back. The slow surface is likely to challenge batters yet again as the average first innings score here reads 123 (T20Is). One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on Disney+Hotstar (5:00am IST).
Bangladesh need to win to go through
The Tigers have won two of their three games. A win against Nepal would power them to the next stage. If Bangladesh lose, they will be dependent upon the Netherlands-Sri Lanka match result. Meanwhile, Nepal have lost all their three matches so far. Bangladesh beat Nepal by eight wickets in their only previous T20I meeting, back in March 2014.
Can Nepal cause an upset?
Nepal would be confident after challenging SA batters in their preceding clash. However, the team has been let down by their batters. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh bowling unit has also been pretty impressive. Veterans in the batting department make the team an even more formidable combination. Hence, Nepal must be at their best to cause an upset.
A look at the probable XIs
Bangladesh (Probable XI): Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Litton Das (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman. Nepal (Probable XI): Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Anil Sah, Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Abinash Bohara.
A look at the key performers
The likes of Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, and Rishad Hossain have been among the wickets in the ongoing tournament. With 47 wickets, Shakib Al Hasan is the leading wicket-taker in T20 WC history. He also owns a fifty in the ongoing competition. Nepal bowlers Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh claimed four and three wickets, respectively, against SA.
