Shamim Hossain struck an unbeaten fifty and hit the winning six as Bangladesh High Performance XI chased down 132 against Victoria CA XI for their third straight victory in the Top End T20 Series in Darwin.
Bangladesh needed two runs for victory, while Shamim needed five to complete his fifty. The left-hander left the first ball, a bouncer from Anliserk, before the pacer dropped the next delivery into his hitting zone.
Shamim made no mistake. He launched it over mid-wicket for six, reaching his fifty and finishing the chase in the same shot.
He ended unbeaten on 51, while Md Gaffar Saklain stayed not out on six.
The chase looked far less comfortable at the start. Bangladesh lost three wickets before the end of the powerplay and then lost Sabbir Rahman, who had scored a fifty in the previous match.
Sohan was dismissed for a duck, Jishan Alam made 11, Ariful Islam scored 15 and Sabbir contributed five.
Captain Irfan Sukkur then joined Shamim to rebuild the innings. The pair added 83 runs and dragged Bangladesh out of trouble.
Sukkur eventually fell for 43 from 32 balls. Shamim stayed at the crease, however, and completed the job with Saklain.
Earlier, Sukkur won the toss and elected to field. Bangladesh’s bowlers then restricted Victoria CA XI to 131 in 19.1 overs.
Victoria captain Sam Harper led the scoring with 49, while Sutherland made 30. Bangladesh kept the scoring under control by taking wickets regularly.
Md Rubel led the attack with four wickets. Rakibul Hasan claimed three, while Saklain and Ripon Mondol took one each.
The result came in the 11th match of the Top End T20 Series in Darwin. It gave Bangladesh HP a third consecutive victory and extended their unbeaten run in the competition.
Shamim’s finish provided the final flourish, but the victory came from a recovery after Bangladesh’s early collapse and a crucial 83-run partnership between their captain and middle-order batter.
