UAE Stuns Bangladesh in Historic Run Chase

In a thrilling T20 cricket match, the host United Arab Emirates defeated Bangladesh by 2 wickets with just 1 ball remaining. This is the first time Bangladesh has lost a match after scoring a total of two hundred runs, and the two teams together scored 411 runs in the T20 encounter.

On Monday (19th) night at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the UAE needed 29 runs in the last two overs. The mistake for Bangladesh came from Shariful Islam, who conceded 17 runs in the 19th over. A boundary off an overthrow on the last ball of the over unnecessarily cost the Tigers 5 runs, contributing to their defeat.

Although the UAE required 12 runs in the final over, Tanzim Hasan Sakib started with a wide. The next ball yielded 1 run, followed by a six. With 4 runs needed off 4 balls, a brilliant delivery on the third ball bowled the batter, tightening the match. Three balls needed four runs. Matiullah took a single. Under pressure, Tanzim bowled a no-ball on the fourth delivery.

There was also a golden opportunity for a run-out at this point, but poor fielding from wicketkeeper Zakir Ali and a lack of urgency from Tanzim Sakib prevented it. Haydar Ali then took 2 runs off the next ball. Another excellent run-out chance arose, but Towhid Hridoy didn't throw the ball initially, and when he did, it was too late. A direct throw initially would have certainly resulted in a run-out. These small errors ultimately led to Bangladesh's defeat despite scoring 205 runs.

Chasing a target of 206 runs in a nail-biting match, UAE openers Muhammad Waseem and Muhammad Zohaib put Bangladesh on the back foot with an outstanding 107-run partnership. When Tanvir Islam broke the stand in the 10.1 over, the UAE batters' confidence was sky-high. Muhammad Zohaib was dismissed for 38 off 34 balls.

Bangladesh made a slight comeback when Rishad Hossain quickly removed Rahul Chopra (for 2 runs). However, Shariful Islam took the crucial wicket of the dangerous Mohammad Waseem at 148 runs. But by then, he had already done the majority of the work for the win, playing an unbeaten innings of 82 runs off 42 balls, including 9 boundaries and 5 sixes.

From then on, Bangladeshi bowlers took wickets at regular intervals. Asif Khan scored 19 off 12 balls and Alishan Sharafu contributed 13 off 9 balls, attempting to accelerate the scoring, but Nahid Rana and Shariful Islam didn't allow them to progress further. When Aryansh Sharma was dismissed for 7, Bangladesh seemed close to victory. However, Dhruv Parashar's 11 runs and Haydar Ali's 15 runs off 6 balls snatched the match away from Bangladesh in the final moments.

Earlier, after losing the toss and batting first, Bangladesh scored 205 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Tanzid Tamim scored the highest for the team with 59 runs. Bangladesh had a strong powerplay, scoring 66 runs without losing any wickets. This was the team's first fifty-run opening partnership in T20s after almost a year and 14 innings.

Tamim reached his individual fifty before the end of the powerplay, becoming the third Bangladeshi to achieve this milestone, reaching it in 25 balls. However, he couldn't capitalize further and was dismissed for 59 off 33 balls. Nazmul Hossain Shanto batted well at number three, showing intent from the start despite previous criticism regarding his strike rate. However, after getting set, he couldn't convert his innings into a big score, making 27 off 19 balls.

Towhid Hridoy followed a similar pattern, returning to the pavilion with the disappointment of missing a half-century after a fine innings. He scored 45 runs off 24 balls. While the others batted aggressively, captain Liton Das tried to hold one end, scoring 40 runs off 32 balls. In addition, Zakir Ali played a brilliant cameo towards the end, scoring 18 runs off 6 balls, helping Bangladesh reach 205 runs for 5 wickets in their 20 overs.

Brief Score
Bangladesh: 205/5 in 20 overs (Tanzid 59, Liton 40, Nazmul 27, Hridoy 45, Zakir 18, Shamim 6*, Rishad 2*; Jawadullah 3/45, Sagheer 2/36).

UAE: 206/8 in 19.5 overs (Waseem 82, Zohaib 38, Asif 19, Alishan 13, Haydar 15*; Rishad 2/28, Shariful 2/34, Nahid 2/50, Tanvir 1/37, Tanzim 1/55).

Result: UAE won by 2 wickets.

Man of the Match: Muhammad Waseem.

Series: The 3-match series is now level at 1-1.