T20 World Cup 2021, Oman vs PNG and Bangladesh vs Scotland, Stats Review: Shakib Al Hasan, Mark Watt accomplish milestones

Two entirely different matches were witnessed on the first day of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. While Oman comfortably defeated Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets in the first clash, the evening game saw Scotland upsetting Bangladesh. With several players putting up a commendable show over the 22 yards, fans were entertained thoroughly and it would be interesting to see how the global tournament pans out.

Speaking of the first game, Oman invited PNG after winning the toss at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground. The bowlers justified the decision by running through PNG’s batting order. Only Assad Vala (56) and Charles Amini (37) could play substantial knocks as PNG posted 129/9. However, Oman didn’t break a sweat in crossing the line. Openers Jatinder Singh and Aqib Ilyas smashed half-centuries as Oman won the game by 10 wickets.

The second game saw Bangladesh taking on Scotland at the same venue. The Bangla Tigers opted to bowl and got off to a brilliant start in the contest. Mahedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan made the ball talk as Scotland were restricted to 53/6. However, Chris Greaves scored a quickfire 45 and took his side to 140/9.

Chasing the target, Bangladesh lost both openers cheaply. However, the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudullah made handy contributions as the game went right down to the wire. But the Bangla Tigers could only manage 134/7 and subsequently, lost the game by six runs.

Meanwhile, here are the important stats and numbers from the 1st and 2nd match of ICC T20 World Cup 2021:

2 – Scotland recorded their second win over Bangladesh in T20 Internationals.

108 – Shakib Al Hasan (108 wickets) became the highest wicket-taker in T20Is. He went past Lasith Malinga’s tally of 107 wickets.

600 – Shakib also became the first Bangladesh player to scalp 600 wickets in international cricket.

45 – Chris Greaves recorded his highest score in T20I cricket, 45.

3/19 – Mahedi Hasan recorded his best figures in T20Is, 3/19.

56 – Assad Vala smashed the third half-century of his T20I career. Vala also recorded his highest T20I score, 56.

5 – Oman recorded their fifth biggest win in T20Is in terms of balls remaining, 38.

2 – This was the second occasion of Oman winning a T20I match by 10 wickets.

2 – Mark Watt became the second Scotland player after Safyaan Sharif to scalp 50 T20I wickets.

4 – Jatinder Singh slammed the fourth half-century of his T20I career. He also recorded his highest score in the format (73).

2 – Jatinder Singh and Aqib Ilyas added 131 runs for the first wicket, the second-highest partnership for Oman in T20Is. In 2020, Jatinder Singh and Khawar Ali added 132 runs against Maldives.

2 – Mustafizur Rahman became the second player after Rashid Khan to take 50 wickets in T20s in 2021.