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Published : 20 May 2025, 11:43 AM
Despite setting an imposing target of 205 runs, Bangladesh slumped to a shock defeat in the second T20I against the UAE at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday. Although their 191-run total was enough to seal a comfortable win in the first match of the series, the Tigers have it all to do now in Wednesday's series decider after failing to defend a 200+ score for the first time in their T20I history.
UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem led from the front with an explosive innings, capitalising on wayward bowling from Tanzim Hasan Sakib and debutant Nahid Rana. The UAE openers burst out of the traps, hitting boundaries in each of the first seven overs, racking up 107 runs in the first 10 overs alone.
Bangladesh briefly rallied after the drinks break by taking two quick wickets, but Waseem’s relentless hitting kept UAE on track. At one point, the equation was 60 runs needed from 36 balls. Bangladesh managed to grab breakthroughs in each over, yet UAE remained firmly in the hunt.
With just three wickets in hand, UAE needed 29 off the last 11 balls. The penultimate over from Shoriful Islam proved costly, as he conceded 17 runs in the final five balls. Tanzim then bowled a wide and a no-ball in the final over, giving away the remaining 12 runs in just five deliveries.
At the post-match presentation, Bangladesh captain Litton Das lamented poor bowling and fielding, but also pointed to the effect of dew.
"Any loss is hard, but we still batted well on this wicket. Wicket was pretty good, when they batted, they had the favour of dew. We missed a bit in the fielding and in the middle-overs bowling," he said.
UAE’s win was historic. It was the first time in 265 T20Is over nearly 16 years that a team chased down a 200+ total successfully at the venue.
It was also the highest successful chase by an associate team against a Full Member nation. The previous best was Afghanistan's chase of 191 against Zimbabwe in 2015, before they had Test status.
After the first match, Litton had stressed the need to learn which types of bowling work at Sharjah. The second game underlined that lesson even more strongly.
"When you play on this type of ground, which is small and with dew a factor, you have to calculate and plan [as bowlers]."
Bangladesh handed a debut to fast bowler Nahid Rana, hoping to use pace to trouble the UAE batters. But the plan fell flat. Nahid couldn’t even land his first delivery as the ball slipped out of his hand. His second delivery was a beamer that was hit for six.
His bowling was erratic throughout the match. He gave away 44 runs in his first three overs, and after conceding a six off the first ball of his fourth over, he became only the third Bangladeshi to concede 50+ runs on his T20I debut. Despite bowling five dot balls at the end, he was largely ineffective. UAE batters hit him for 7 fours and 2 sixes in his 4-over spell.
Litton couldn't hide his disappointment with Nahid’s performance:
"What Rana did before [his final over], we were expecting more from him. You can have good days and bad days. We will sit and talk and come back."
Litton himself showed better form with the bat compared to the previous game, scoring 40 off 32 balls with 3 fours and a six. However, he failed to convert his start into a big score, getting out while trying to flick a ball from Muhammad Jawadullah off the off-stump.
"What I did is not up to the mark but I will try my best."
The series was originally scheduled for two matches but was extended to three following an agreement between the two cricket boards. The final and deciding T20I will be held on Wednesday at the same venue, with the series now evenly poised at 1-1.
