An all-round performance by Mahmudullah in all the three departments guided Bangladesh to a convincing 51-run win over the United Arab Emirates in the Asia Cup Twenty20 at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Following a face-saving unbeaten 27-ball 36, Mahmudullah, who also grabbed a magnificent catch to dismiss Shaiman Anwar, picked up two wickets as the UAE, chasing 134, were skittled out for 82.
The Bangladesh bowlers did everything right with pace bowling sensation Mustafizur Rahman (2/13) returning to his usual brilliant self after disappointing in the tournament opener against India.
Skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Shakib al Hasan shared four scalps between themselves while Al Amin Hossain and Taskin Ahmed notched one each in what was a commanding bowling display.
Earlier, the Bangladesh batsmen were found wanting against the UAE bowlers under the Mirpur floodlights.
The UAE bowling attack started from where they had left off against Sri Lanka in their tournament opener, restricting Bangladesh to 133/8 in 20 overs.
Asked to bat first, Bangladesh opening batsmen Mohammad Mithun (47) and Soumya Sarkar (21) made a cautious start, adding 46 runs before the latter found the fielder at mid-on. Mithun on the other hand looked rusty and was eventually dismissed in a rather comical way.
Following the openers’ departure, Bangladesh plunged into further trouble as Sabbir Rahman (six), Mushfiqur Rahim (four) and Shakib (13) all departed cheaply. However, Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on 36 off 27 balls, blasting 17 runs in the 20th over to give the Tigers some sort of a fighting total.
The UAE bowlers bowled superbly and kept the Bangladesh batsmen quiet for the most part of the innings. In what was a disciplined bowling performance, Mohammad Naveed picked up two wickets while captain Amjad Javed bagged as many.