"Fizz got his old form back thanks to CSK" - Fans hail Mustafizur Rahman for match-winning spell in BAN vs NEP 2024 T20 World Cup clash
Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman produced a match-winning spell in the all-important encounter against Nepal at Kingstown on Sunday, June 16. After Bangladesh managed only 106 runs with the bat, their bowlers came out all guns blazing.
Mustafizur struck in his first over, the sixth of the innings, to remove the dangerous-looking Aasif Sheikh for 17 off 14. The 28-year-old then changed the course of the game in his penultimate over with Nepal requiring 30 off 24 deliveries with five wickets in hand.
He dismissed the well-set Kushal Malla for 27, conceding only one run to push Bangladesh closer to victory. However, his final over stole the show as Mustafizur bowled a maiden over that culminated with a wicket off the final ball with Nepal needing 22 to win.
The ace pacer finished with outstanding figures of 3/7 in four overs to help Bangladesh win by 21 runs. Following an impressive IPL 2024 campaign for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with 14 wickets in nine games, Mustafizur has continued his tremendous form throughout the 2024 T20 World Cup.
He is on seven wickets after four outings at an average of 7.71 and an economy rate of 3.37 thus far in the competition.
Fans on X could not stop hailing Mustafizur for his incredible showing and had the following reactions:
Fans continued to praise Muztafizur with one saying:
"A wicket maiden in 19th over, mustafizur unlocking beast."
"Mustafizur is a God on slow wickets," a fan said.
"How many times have you seen Mustafizur do this? That is why he is one of the best in this art. Tough guy to get away. Airee finding it out the hard way," tweeted a fan.
Mustafizur Rahman's heroics help Bangladesh qualify for the Super Eights of the 2024 T20 World Cup
Thanks to Mustafizur Rahman's heroic efforts against Nepal, Bangladesh became the final team to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Apart from Mustafizur, fellow pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib has shown brightly with nine wickets in four games, including figures of 4/7 in four overs against Nepal.
Bangladesh won three out of their four group-stage contests with the lone defeat coming in a thriller against South Africa by four runs. They will be part of Group 1 in the Super Eights with India, Australia, and Afghanistan, with the top two earning the right to qualify for the semi-finals.
Bangladesh's first Super Eight encounter will be against Australia in Antigua on Thursday, June 20.