Bangladesh

The performance, though not the most polished, was a statement of intent that showcased a balanced team effort spearheaded by emerging stars and seasoned campaigners alike.

Alick Athanaze, one of the shining lights of the victory, has climbed 18 places to 62nd in the batting rankings after his crucial knocks of 90 and 42. The 25-year-old’s maturity under pressure has been a revelation, solidifying his status as one of the brightest prospects in West Indies cricket.

Justin Greaves (up 43 places to 81st) and Mikyle Louis (up 25 places to joint-86th) also made significant gains, highlighting the depth and promise in the West Indies’ batting ranks.

The Caribbean fast-bowling trio of Jayden Seales, Kemar Roach, and Alzarri Joseph has reaped the rewards for a disciplined and hostile display in Antigua. Seales, who led the attack with precision, has moved up three places to a career-best 11th in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings.

Roach’s masterclass of swing and seam bowling, coupled with his ability to dismantle top-order batters, has pushed him four spots to 17th. Meanwhile, the fiery Alzarri Joseph has climbed three places to 29th, reflecting his growing reputation as a strike bowler capable of rattling opposition line-ups.

Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed stood out with a six-wicket haul, 6-64, in the second innings, lifting him from 67th to 51st in the bowling rankings, while Litton Das and Mominul Haque have inched up a slot each to 32nd and 47th positions in the batting rankings.

Meanwhile, India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has regained the top spot in the men’s Test bowling rankings after leading his team to a resounding 295-run victory over Australia in the first match of their ICC World Test Championship series in Perth.

Bumrah’s hauls of five for 30 and three for 42 have helped him overtake Josh Hazlewood and Kagiso Rabada and reach a career-best 883 rating points, the highest rating points tally ever by an India seam bowler. Spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (904) and Ravindra Jadeja (899) are the only bowlers from India to record higher points tallies.

This is the third time that Bumrah has been top of the rankings this year. He was top ranked for two one-month stretches each starting in February and October.

India’s huge victory in the first of five Tests is reflected in gains for several other players including centurions Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli.

Opener Jaiswal has overtaken Harry Brook and Kane Williamson to reach a career-best second position after top-scoring in Perth with 161 in the second innings, while Kohli’s unbeaten 100 has lifted him nine spots to 13th position after being outside the top 20 batters for the first time in 10 years.

KL Rahul has advanced from 60th to 49th position and Nitish Kumar Reddy has entered the batting rankings in 74th position, while Mohammad Siraj has moved up three spots to 25th position in the bowling rankings.

Australian Travis Head is back in the top 10 after notching a fighting 89 in the second innings while Alex Carey (up one place to 39th among batters) and Mitchell Marsh (up 10 places to 68th among bowlers) are among others to progress after their performances in Perth. Steve Smith, who could only manage zero and 17, has slid down to seventh place, his lowest position since December 2014.

Cummins starred with the ball while David Warner was key with the back as Australia maintained their perfect record in the tournament to start their Super 8s campaign with a 28-run victory.

It was a rain-impacted encounter in Antigua on Thursday, with Australia ultimately prevailing on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, with the weather having ended play when they were on 100-2 while chasing a target of 141.

Cummins' three wickets came across the 18th and 20th overs of Bangladesh's innings, with Towhid Hridoy (40) his final wicket.

"At the end of the over, I saw it come up on the screen and I totally forgot about [the hat-trick]," Cummins said.

"I've taken a few in junior cricket but never for Australia. It's pretty awesome to be able to join the club."

Warner then took control with the bat, striking an unbeaten 53 from 35 deliveries to ensure Australia were well on course for victory before the weather closed in.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh added: "A really solid bowling performance, everyone chipped in.

"We've always spoken about having 15 guys who can take us deep in this World Cup and we will pick teams on conditions."

Data Debrief: Magnificent seventh

Cummins became just the seventh player to take a hat-trick of wickets at the men's T20 World Cup and the first Australia player since Brett Lee took 3-27 in 2007.

Coincidentally, Lee's hat-trick also came against Bangladesh.

Rain limited play to just one session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, but Pakistan eventually made their time with the bat count as they reached 158-4 on Wednesday.

It was a poor start as Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for just two runs before Shoriful Islam (2-30) took both Shan Masood (6) and Babar Azam (0) as Pakistan fell to 16-3.

However, Ayub and Shakeel soon found their footing, adding 98 runs as a partnership before the former was finally caught for 56.

Shakeel reached 57 not out and Mohammad Rizwan reached 24 not out as Pakistan dragged themselves into a much stronger position before bad light brought play to a close for the day. 

Data Debrief: Slow and steady

Since making his debut in October 2016, Azam has been dismissed for a duck eight times in men's Tests; only Azhar Ali (11) among Pakistani batters has been dismissed more often for a duck during the same period.

However, Shakeel's introduction soon turned the tide, and he became their joint-quickest batter to reach 1000 Test runs, getting there in his 20th innings and matching Saeed Ahmed's record from 1959. 

Pakistan claimed a five-wicket victory in the opening game in Lahore on Friday, and Babar and Hafeez ensured the hosts were in cruise control again at the same venue on Saturday.

After Bangladesh finished on 136-6 thanks predominantly to Tamim Iqbal's 65, Babar (66 not out) and Hafeez (67no) combined superbly for an unbroken stand of 131.

It meant Pakistan clinched the match and the three-match series with 20 balls to spare, rendering Monday's finale a dead rubber.

Bangladesh opener Mohammad Naim went for a duck in the second over and, though Tamim held the innings together, he found little in the way of partners.

Afif Hossain (21), stayed with Tamim for a stand of 45, but after the latter was run out in the 18th over, any impetus Bangladesh's innings had was lost.

Shafiul Islam removed Ahsan Ali for a duck to give Bangladesh hope of defending their total, which was swiftly and brutally extinguished by Babar and Hafeez.

Hafeez brought up his half-century in 39 balls, but Babar was four deliveries quicker, the pair hitting 16 fours and two sixes between them as they tormented the Bangladesh attack en route to an easy win.

Faced with a target of 205 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Pakistan made light work of knocking it off, thanks in large part to opener Fakhar Zaman's 74-ball 81, which included seven sixes.

That victory moved Pakistan onto six points, with two pool matches - against third-placed New Zealand and lowly England - remaining.

Should they win both, then Babar Azam's side stand a strong chance of qualifying, though they will also rely on both the Black Caps and Australia, who both have a match in hand, slipping up.

"Credit to the boys, the way they played in all three departments," said captain Babar at the post-match presentation.

"We know how well Fakhar plays when he's going and it was good to see him do it.

"We are trying to win our remaining matches and see where we stand. This win hopefully gives confidence in the coming matches."

Bangladesh, meanwhile, have been eliminated, with their captain Shakib Al Hasan saying: "Not enough runs.

"We lost an early wicket, then we had partnerships but not big ones that would allow us to go big in the last ten overs."

Shakib put on 43 to complement a 45 from Litton Das and Mahmudullah's 56, but Bangladesh were bowled out for 204 after only 45.1 overs.

Fakhar's superb knock and Abdullah Shafique's 68 swiftly paved the way for Mohammad Rizwan (26 not out) and Iftikhar Ahmed (17no) to seal victory for Pakistan in the 33rd over.

It was just the fourth time Pakistan had defeated a team with at least 100 balls remaining in an ODI, having last done so against West Indies in 2011. The big win boosted their net run rate, which may still prove decisive in the battle to reach the semis.

"I practiced a lot after the Asia Cup," said Fakhar, who after hitting three successive ODI centuries earlier this year, had failed to score above 33 in his 11 innings since the start of May and lost his place in the side.

"Thankfully, I was feeling very good in the camp. I was looking forward to scoring for my team, but it's cricket, Today I got a chance. I had worked hard for this and it paid off.

"It doesn’t matter how the wicket will play, I know I can hit sixes, so I was just looking to play out the first four overs.

"My role is always to make it easy for my partner. I know my role, it was to see off the first four overs and then go for the ball. We were just looking to finish the game before the 30 overs.

"After too many failures I was always looking just to score the first 30 runs and I was struggling to get that. I’m very happy – hopefully I'll make it big in the next games."

Shaheen Afridi, meanwhile, joined Australia spinner Adam Zampa at the top of the wicket-taking charts for the tournament with figures of 3-23.

Coming in at number four, Babar was dropped by Ebadat Hossain when he had only scored two and went on to punish the tourists, firing 19 fours and a six off 192 balls.

Shan Masood (100) scored a century of his own as Pakistan ended Saturday's action on 342-3, 109 runs ahead of Bangladesh with seven wickets in hand.

Abu Jayed (2-66) had Pakistan on 93-2, but Babar shared stands of 112 with Masood and 137 with Asad Shafiq, who will be looking to become Pakistan's third centurion of the innings when he resumes on 60 not out.

Bangladesh made an ideal start when Jayed removed Abid Ali for a duck, the opener edging behind to Liton Das from a short and wide delivery in the second over of the day.

Pakistan captain Azhar Ali (34) also fell before lunch, taken at slip off the bowling of Jayed.

That brought Babar to the crease and he did not score in 14 deliveries before lunch and then had a major let-off in the third over of the second session.

Taijul Islam thought he had his man but Edabot could not hold the catch at long-off, a mistake he would regret increasingly as the day progressed.

Masood had already reached 65 by that point and he had his third Test century off 157 balls with a single to fine leg, having hit 11 fours.

But in the next over he was bowled by Taijul (1-111) just before tea in what proved to be the Tigers' last wicket of the day.

Babar brought up his fifth Test ton off 137 balls when he hit Taijul for four and kept his foot on the accelerator from there.

Shafiq reached his fifty from 83 deliveries as part of a useful supporting role, with both players now eyeing big individual totals on day three as Pakistan look to put the match out of reach.

In-form Babar, already on his highest Test score, has now scored a century in four of his past five matches, and had an innings of 97 in the other.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan had stated that the Tigers would only play three T20 matches against Pakistan this month.

Hassan said tension in the Middle East between Iran and the United States was the main reason they would only agree to a short trip to Pakistan.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday announced that a schedule of three T20s this month and Tests in February and April either side of a one-off ODI has been agreed.

PCB chairman Ehsan Mani said: "I am pleased that we have amicably achieved a resolution that is in the best interest of this great sport as well as both the proud cricket playing countries.

"I also want to thank ICC chairman Shaskank Manohar for the leadership he provided and ensured the sport continues to grow and thrive in the two countries."

The two sides will contests T20 encounters in Lahore on January 24, 25 and 27, with a first Test to get under way in Rawalpindi on February 7.

They will contest an ODI in Karachi on April 3, with the second Test starting in the same city two days later.

Gibson, 50, who played two Tests and 15 ODIs for West Indies, will reprise the role of international bowling coach that he has twice held with the England team.

He has signed a two-year contract, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Tuesday, with Gibson replacing Charl Langeveldt after he quit in December to join the South Africa coaching staff.

Gibson was head coach of South Africa from August 2017 until August 2019, when he lost his job after a poor performance from the Proteas at the Cricket World Cup.

BCB chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said of Gibson: "He brings in tremendous experience and has coached or played all over the world.

"He has also had the opportunity to observe Bangladesh cricket from close. I am sure he will be a very valuable addition to the Bangladesh team's coaching group."

Gibson's knowledge of Bangladesh cricket was bolstered by his recent spell as head coach of Cumilla Warriors in the Bangladesh Premier League.

He starts work immediately with the national team, who leave for Lahore on Wednesday ahead of a three-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan.

Only bad light and rain prevented Bangladesh from wrapping up a 2-0 series success on day four after they bowled Pakistan out for 172, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana taking nine wickets between them.

Having resumed at 42 without loss, the tourists saw Zakir Hasan bowled clean by Mir Hamza for 40 early on, before Shadman Islam was caught by Shan Masood for 24 five overs later.

However, Pakistan's early wickets only delayed the inevitable as Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (38) and Mominul Haque (34) took up the mantle to push them closer to their target.

Abdullah Shafique took a great catch at short leg to account for the former while Abrar Ahmed's ball saw the latter caught by Saim Ayub, but Bangladesh were already within 30 runs of victory by that point and would not be denied. 

The experienced duo of Mushfiqur Rahim (22) and Shakib Al Hasan (21) were able to wrap things up serenely for the tourists, extending Pakistan's miserable winless run on home soil to 10 Tests.

Data Debrief: Rare overseas success for Bangladesh

Bangladesh had never previously recorded a series success over Pakistan, making the calm fashion in which they batted their way to victory on Tuesday all the more impressive.

The victory was just their fourth Test win on foreign soil in the last seven years, and this is only the third Test series they have ever won on their travels.

Their only previous series triumphs on foreign soil came versus West Indies in 2009 and in Zimbabwe three years ago.

The hosts tallied 158-2 against the world champions, with opener Litton Das making 73 and the in-form Najmul Hossain Shanto adding 47 not out. They shared in a second-wicket stand of 84 as England struggled to find bowling penetration and fielded poorly.

England were seemingly cruising at 100-1 in reply but then lost Dawid Malan and captain Jos Buttler to successive deliveries in the 14th over, and their lack of middle-order strength was exploited by the home team.

Malan, on 53, edged to wicketkeeper Das off left-arm paceman Mustafizur Rahman, and from the next ball Mehidy Hasan threw down the stumps as Buttler chased a quick single and was run out for 40.

Ben Duckett got away with an edge off Mehidy that Das juggled, before Taskin Ahmed struck twice in the 17th over, having Moeen Ali caught just inside the boundary and then bowling Duckett.

It meant England were 123-5, needing 36 from the final three overs, and Sam Curran soon fell too, prised out by Shakib Al Hasan. England wanted 27 from the final over, and that was inevitably beyond them, stalling on 142-6 and left to wonder where it all went so wrong.

Bangladesh celebrate famous scalp

There were delirious scenes inside the Shere Bangla National Stadium as the Tigers pulled off a terrific series victory. This was just Bangladesh's second 3-0 T20I clean sweep in their history, having first had such a success against Ireland in July 2012.

Ton up for Mustafizur

Mustafizur's dismissal of Malan made him just the second player to reach 100 wickets for Bangladesh in men's T20Is, after Shakib Al Hasan. The 27-year-old reached the landmark in his 81st match in the short format, with his best bowling remaining the 5-22 he took against New Zealand at Eden Gardens in March 2016.

The tourists started Tuesday’s play in a strong position, 193-5 in 41.4 overs, leading by 211 in their second innings with Jaker Ali and Taijul Islam in the middle on 29 and 9, respectively.

Islam added a further five runs before becoming the first batsman dismissed on the day, caught by Kavem Hodge off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph in the 50^th over if the innings.

The wicket of Mominul Haque followed soon after for a duck, leaving Bangladesh 211-7 in the 51^st over and giving the hosts hope of wrapping up the innings in quick time to try and secure a series win with the bat.

Ali had other ideas, however, scoring rapidly in the midst of the falling wickets at the other end due to some adventurous stroke making, entertaining the small Sabina Park crowd.

Hasan Mahmud (3) and Taskin Ahmed (0) came and went during Ali’s onslaught that saw Bangladesh make it all the way to 268 all out off 59.5 overs.

Ali, in just his third Test match, was the last man dismissed for a crucial 91 off just 106 balls including eight fours and five sixes.

Kemar Roach finished with 3-36 off 10 overs while Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph also had good spells with 3-77 and 2-80 off 15.5 and 12 overs, respectively.

Set 287 to win, West Indian openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis set out to first ensure that they got to the lunch break without the loss of a wicket.

Unfortunately, even that task proved too much as, in the fifth over of the innings and final one before lunch, Louis (6) played a full delivery from left arm spinner Taijul Islam onto his foot which then lobbed in the air to be caught by Shahadat Hossain fielding at short leg, leaving the West Indies 23-1 off 4.2 overs at lunch.

The post lunch session started with Brathwaite and new batsman Keacy Carty attempting to get stuck into some disciplined Bangladesh bowling.

Almost ten overs into the session, however, Carty played at one to many, edging behind to Litton Das off the bowling of Taijul Islam for 14 leaving the hosts 57-2, needing a further 230 to win.

35 runs later, Brathwaite got a beauty from Islam producing an edge that was parried off the gloves of Das into the arms of the diving Mahmudul Hasan Joy at first slip. Brathwaite made an uncharacteristic 63-ball 43 including two fours and a six.

Three quickly became four as Islam struck once again, this time breaching the defense of Alick Athanaze for five to leave the hosts 106-4 in the 27^th over with hopes of a win looking dimmer by the second.

Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves tried to steady proceedings with a 37-run fifth wicket partnership, which lasted through the tea break.

During that partnership, Hodge brought up his third Test fifty before being dismissed not long after, trapped in front for 55 by Islam with the score on 143 in the 39^th over.

The wickets of Justin Greaves (20) in the 43^rd over and Joshua Da Silva (12) in the 46^th over basically ended all hope for what already looked like an improbable victory. Da Silva’s wicket brought up Islam’s 15^th five wicket haul in Tests.

Fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud and first innings hero Nahid Rana combined with the wickets of Alzarri Joseph (5), Kemar Roach (8) and Shamar Joseph (8) to bowl out the West Indies for 185 in 50 overs and secure Bangladesh’s first win in the Caribbean since 2009.

Islam’s final figures were 5-50 off 17 overs while Mahmud and Taskin Ahmed took 2-20 from six overs and 2-45 from 10 overs, respectively.

Full Scores:

Bangladesh 164 off 71.5 overs (Shadman Islam 64, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 36, Jayden Seales 4-5, Shamar Joseph 3-49, Kemar Roach 2-45) & 268 off 59.5 overs (Jaker Ali 91, Shadman Islam 46, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 42, Kemar Roach 2-36, Alzarri Joseph 3-77, Shamar Joseph 2-80)

West Indies 146 off 65 overs (Keacy Carty 40, Kraigg Brathwaite 39, Nahid Rana 5-61, Hasan Mahmud 2-19) & 185 off 50 overs (Kavem Hodge 55, Kraigg Brathwaite 43, Taijul Islam 5-50, Hasan Mahmud 2-20, Taskin Ahmed 2-45).

Asked to bat by the tourists, the West Indies struggled to find runs, scoring 27 in the first 10.3 overs when Kyle Mayers was bowled for 17 by Mossadek Hossian.

Nasum Ahmed bowled Shamarh Brooks for five and Captain Nicholas Pooran for a duck and also removed Shai Hope for 18 as the West Indies slumped further into the mire at 45-4.

Vice-Captain Rovman Powell and Brandon King briefly offered some respite with a fifth-wicket stand of 24 before Powell skied one from Shoriful Islam and was caught by Mahmudullah for 13.

King followed shortly thereafter dismissed for 11 by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who also got the wickets of Romario Shepherd (4), Alzarri Joseph (0) and Gudakesh Motie (6) to finish with figures of 4-29 from eight overs.

Before he got out, Motie and Keemo Paul, who remained unbeaten on 25, carried the score past 100 before the former was dismissed as the West Indies were all out for 108 in just 35 overs.

Ahmed took 3-19 from his 10 overs.

Needing 109 for victory, Bangladesh lost Najmul Hossain Santo for 20 at 48. However, there were no further hiccups as Tamim Iqbal ended unbeaten on 50 and Litton Das 32 as Bangladesh achieved their target in just 20.4 overs.

The pair shared in an unbroken stand of 64 that took the tourists to 112-1 and o the series win.

Bangladesh won the first ODI played on July 10 by six wickets.

The teams meet again at the same venue on Saturday.

Bangladesh were faced with a mountain to climb after day two as Pakistan declared at 448-6, but the tourists kept themselves in the contest in sweltering conditions on Friday.

Shadman set the tone with a composed 93 off 183 balls faced, steadying the ship after an early Pakistan onslaught led to the dismissals of Zakir Hasan (12) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (16).

His knock lasted over five-and-a-half hours before Mohammad Ali's delivery sent stumps flying at the end of the 66th over, but any hopes of that being the all-important breakthrough for Pakistan were frustrated.

Mominul Haque brought up his half-century before falling to Khurram Shahzad's off break, but sixth-wicket duo Mushfiqur and Litton would not be beaten.

They reached stumps still standing at 55 and 52 respectively, launching a fine counterattack late in the day as Pakistan struggled to get to grips with the new ball, with Bangladesh scoring 67 off the final 11 overs before stumps.

They still have it all to do if they are to inch ahead in the two-match series, though, with Pakistan maintaining a decent lead as they close in on the tourists' lower order.

Data Debrief: Pakistan attack frustrated

When Pakistan captain Shan Masood declared and put Bangladesh in with around an hour to go on day two, he might have been envisaging swift wickets and a comfortable first-innings lead.

By the end of day three, those hopes were in question thanks to excellent work from the Bangladesh batters, who relished the hostile conditions to trim Pakistan's advantage.

Some expensive bowling from Agha Salman (0-53), Shaheen Shah Afridi (0-55) and Naseem Shah (1-77) has not helped the hosts' cause, and they will demand better on Saturday. 

In the match reduced to 41 overs because of a wet outfield, Bangladesh won the toss and sent the West Indies in to bat. The home side was in early trouble losing Shai Hope first ball, bowled by an inswinger from Mustafizur Rahman for nought.

On a pitch of uneven bounce and taking spin, the West Indies struggled to rotate the strike. They lost Kyle Mayers for 10 in the 12^th over when the score was on 32. It would get a lot worse eight overs later when after limping to 55-2, they lost Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks off consecutive deliveries of the 21^st over bowled by Shoriful Islam for eight and 33, respectively.

The dismissals brought together Captain Nicholas Pooran (18) and Vice-Captain Rovman Powell (9), who together put on 20 for the fifth wicket. Mehidy Hasan Miraz removed both in quick succession to have the West Indies tottering on 91-6.

Shoriful picked up his third and fourth wickets with the dismissals of Romario Shepherd for 15 and Gudakesh Motie for 7, which along with the run out of Akeal Hosein for 3, saw the West Indies stumble to 110-9 in over 35.

Jayden Seales and Anderson Phillip, who were unbeaten on 16 and 21, respectively put on 39 for the last wicket to take the West Indies to 149-9.

Shoriful returned figures of 4-34 while Mehidy took 3-36.

Needing 150 for their first victory of the series, Bangladesh lost the wickets of Liton Das for 1 with the score at 9 and Tamim Iqbal for 33 when the score was 49 but still raced to 77-2 after 13 overs.

The tourists would lose the wickets of Najmul Hossain Shanto for 37 and Afif Hossain for nine as Bangladesh closed in on the victory but Mahmudullah 41 not out and Nurul Hasan (20) ensured that there would be no further jitters as they eased to 151-4 with 55 balls to spare.

Motie, who dismissed Shanto for the first wicket of his international career, bowled well for figures of 1-18 from nine overs while Pooran took 1-39 from seven. Akeal Hosein took 1-43.

Solid knocks from Mohammad Naim (30) and Shakib Al Hasan (36) set the tourists a target of 131 after they won the toss and elected to field.

Mitchell Marsh continued his strong form from the tour of the West Indies with 45 from as many deliveries, but Nasum's 4-19, which included the wickets of Marsh and stand-in captain Matthew Wade (13), helped Bangladesh to a winning start in their bid for first back-to-back multi-game T20I series victories.

Australia, who finished on 108 all out after Mitchell Starc fell on the final delivery, have now won only one of their past seven T20I matches.

Shakib, bidding to become the first Bangladesh batsman to record 10 scores of 50 or more in T20I contests, got to within 14 runs of that milestone when he was skittled by Josh Hazlewood (3-24).

Shamim Hossain managed just four runs before Starc's full delivery found leg stump, but Afif Hossain led a late charge, three fours taking him to 23 off 17 balls before falling to Starc in the final over.

Australia's chase began in ignominious fashion as Mahedi Hasan's first delivery to Alex Carey smashed into the stumps. Josh Philippe and Moises Henriques then followed in quick succession, the latter succumbing to Shakib's opening ball.

Wade and Marsh took some sting out of the Bangladesh attack, a stand of 38 ending when the Australia captain's sweep was caught by the grateful Mustafizur Rahman at short fine leg.

Ashton Agar endured an embarrassing end to his knock, sticking a boot into his own stumps after scoring seven from 12 deliveries, as Australia's hopes diminished.

Nasun leads the charge

Bangladesh's total looked a realistic target for Australia, especially given their previous perfect record against these opponents.

However, they simply did not look like mounting a challenge once the first three wickets fell for 11 runs as Bangladesh's bowlers, Nasun in particular, made sure the conditions worked in their favour.

"It was outstanding, the hunger and energy was there," said captain Mahmudullah. "The bowlers executed their plans really well. You need to have an attacking mindset with the ball early on; that's what we did."

Starc contrast

Starc claimed the final two wickets of Bangladesh's innings to reach 50 in T20Is. He is the first Australian to register a half-century in this format and two clear of previous all-time leading wicket-taker Shane Watson.

That had put Australia in a good position to chase down a relatively modest total, but Marsh was the only man to score 15 or more as they struggled badly against the spin attack on a challenging surface.

Just two days on from their agonising one-run loss to South Africa, Nepal had another high-profile side on the ropes as Bangladesh were skittled for just 106.

No Bangladesh player made more than Shakib Al Hasan's 17 runs as Dipendra Singh Airee (2-22), Rohit Paudel (2-20) and Sandeep Lamichhane (2-17) all impressed with the ball. 

However, a blistering opening spell from Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who finished with career-best T20I figures of 4-7 – ensured that measly figure was enough. 

Tanzim got the ball rolling by dismissing Kushal Bhurtel and Anil Sah within three third-over deliveries, then had Paudel and Sundeep Jora caught as Nepal fell to 26-5.

Kushal Malla steadied the ship somewhat, but his match-high 27 runs came off 40 deliveries as Mustafizur Rahman (3-7) and Shakib (2-9) bowled efficiently, the former's ball accounting for his dismissal as he looped a shot to Najmul Hossain Shanto at mid off.

Nepal went into the final over needing 22 to see a spirited performance rewarded with a victory, but their final two wickets fell from the first two balls as Bangladesh clinched second place in Group D, behind South Africa.

That result ended the Netherlands' hopes of progression, and their tournament ended with a whimper as they suffered an 81-run defeat to Sri Lanka in Kingstown.

Sri Lanka set a daunting target of 202 – the joint-highest of the tournament to date, alongside Australia versus England – with Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka making 46 runs apiece, the latter hitting five sixes off 21 balls.

The demoralised Dutch fell well short in their chase and were all out for 118 with three overs remaining, Nuwan Thushara helping himself to a hat-trick for Sri Lanka.

Data Debrief: Paltry total enough for Bangladesh

Bangladesh supporters might have been twitchy when they limped to just 106 against a Nepal team who have threatened an upset repeatedly at this tournament, but some composed bowling ensured it was enough.

Their tally of 106 runs was the lowest to ever be successfully defended at a T20 World Cup.

Not only do Bangladesh take one step closer to the Super 8s with their emphatic victory, but they also ensure Sri Lanka are knocked out, while the Netherlands need a string of results to go in their favour.

The Tigers looked to be up against it after the Netherlands' strong start, as Liton Das made an early exit for just one run thanks to Sybrand Engelbrecht's diving catch.

However, Tanzid Hassan hit 35 off 26 balls, while Shakib Al Hasan plundered an impressive 64 not out, effectively taking control of the game.

Mahmudullah's 25 just about saw them over the line before Jaker Ali closed with 14 not out to see them to 159-5.

The Netherlands soon found their stride after losing two early wickets of their own and looked to be comfortably chasing down their target through Vikramjit Singh (26) and Engelbrecht (33).

Rishad Hossain soon intervened for Bangladesh though, finishing on 3-33 as the Flying Dutchmen lost four middle-order wickets for six runs and finished with 134-8.

Data Debrief: Bangladesh just too strong

Bangladesh narrowly missed out on a win against high-flying South Africa in their last game, but a win like this is exactly what they needed to get back on track.

Al Hasen was the standout, making a marked improvement on his three runs from the defeat to South Africa with a superb knock of 64 off 46 balls, including nine fours.

Since then, they have beaten reigning world champions New Zealand in a Test match for the first time before getting the better of South Africa in a three-match ODI series, in both cases as tourists.

All of a sudden, confidence is flowing for the Tigers ahead of a two-Test series against South Africa, especially with the fact that the hosts will be missing several key players thanks to IPL commitments, including pretty much their entire bowling attack.

Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje, Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen will all be unavailable, meaning captain Dean Elgar will broadly be reliant on the likes of Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj and a selection of significantly less experienced players.

Bavuma is one away from becoming the 24th player to reach 50 men's Tests for South Africa; his Test batting average against Bangladesh (54.3) is his best against any team.

Speaking earlier in the week, Elgar said: "We have to make do with our next best that we have in the country, who I'm still very confident in.

"Yes, we've lost a few Test caps along the way not having the IPL players with us, but it's a great opportunity for those guys to stand up and put those other players under pressure. I'm confident they can do that."

The tourists will also be missing a key figure in Shakib al Hasan, who has gone home for personal reasons, but other than that are due to be close to full strength for the first Test in Durban on Thursday.

Whether they can repeat their famous win in Mount Maunganui remains to be seen but given the circumstances, you would forgive them for any optimism.

Home troubles for Proteas

While they will enjoy home advantage, South Africa will note they have won only one of their last nine men's Tests at Kingsmead (D1, L7), which was a 10-wicket victory against India in December 2013.

That being said, they do enjoy an excellent record against this opposition, being undefeated in 12 men's Tests against the Tigers (W10, D2).

Bangladesh are also one of only two teams who the Proteas are yet to lose against in the format (W8, D1 v Zimbabwe).

Can Tamim continue Test form?

To illustrate recent improvement, Bangladesh have won two of their last three men's Tests away from home (L1), as many as they won in their 26 touring matches in the format prior (W2, D2, L22).

Tamim Iqbal is one away from becoming the second player to record 10 centuries in men's Tests for Bangladesh, after captain Mominul Haque (11). He has scored 50+ in four of his last five Test innings.

Earlier on, the West Indies made a fight of it with half-centuries from Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood and solid contributions from Kyle Mayers and Joshua da Silva. However, the good work was undone by a late order collapse in which the visitors lost five wickets for six runs on either side of the tea interval that put Bangladesh in a position of strength going into Saturday’s penultimate day.

Batting a second time, Bangladesh were 47 for 3 at the close.

Resuming from their overnight score of 75 for 2, the West Indies lost the wicket of Nkrumah Bonner first ball of the morning for his overnight score of 17.

The Jamaican stretched forward to defend a Taijul Islam delivery that spun enough to catch the outside edge and flew to the left of Najmul Hossain Shanto, who snatched it at first slip.

Bonner’s dismissal brought Mayers to the crease and together with Brathwaite, who was 49 overnight took the score to 130 when the West Indies captain was bowled leaving a Nayeem Hasan delivery that bounced and spun before clipping to top of off. He had made 78, his 20 Test half-century that came off 111 balls from which he struck 12 fours.

Blackwood and Mayers added 24 when the latter became the first of Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s four victims and played a large part in the batting collapse that was to come.

Meanwhile, Blackwood brought up his 14^th Test 50 in a stand of 99 with Da Silva that took the score to 253.

Da Silva, who had been looking more at ease as the tea interval approached, was caught behind for 42 off a Nayeem Hasan delivery that found a faint outside edge and triggered a collapse that saw the West Indies lose their remaining wickets in just 23 balls.

Blackwood failed to add to his pre-tea score of 68 when Miraz had him caught behind playing at a delivery that was spinning past the stumps. He had faced 146 balls and struck nine fours in his more than three-hour stay at the crease.

Miraz then bowled Cornwall for 2 and then had Kemar Roach hole out to deep mid-wicket without scoring to return figures of 4 for 58 from 26 overs.

Taijul Islam bowled Jomel Warrican for four for figures of 2 for 84, while there were also two wickets each for Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman.

With a lead of 171, Bangladesh lost two wickets in two balls to Cornwall and were in early trouble at 2 for 1. Shannon Gabriel then got Shadman Islam out for 5 as the West Indies mounted a fightback to have the home side 33 for 3.

However, Monimul Haque remained unbeaten on 31 and Musfiqur Rahim on 10 as Bangladesh reached 47 for 3 at stumps.

Spinner Taijul Islam was named player of the match after bowling figures of 5-50 on the fourth day, which helped ensure that the hosts were bowled out for 185 on Tuesday.

The other wickets on day four were taken by Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana – who had taken a five-for himself in West Indies' earlier innings.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh had Jaker Ali (91) to thank for scoring 62 of Bangladesh's 75 runs in the morning session.

Jaker later took a ping off the top of his helmet from Jayden Seales but, fortunately for the visitors, was cleared to carry on. Though when Islam (14) and Mominul Haque (0) went in quickfire wickets, the outlook was gloomier.

Jaker, though, went into attack mode and helped Bangladesh to a total of 268 all out, giving West Indies 287 to chase.

Kaven Hodge (55) top-scored, while captain Kraigg Brathwaite (43) was the only other batsman to make more than 20 as West Indies found it impossible to build any momentum as they were skittled for 185.

As a result of the victory, West Indies have replaced Bangladesh at the bottom of the World Test Championship table, although both are out of contention of making the final.

Data debrief: Plenty of reasons to be cheerful for Bangladesh after historic win

The five-for taken by Islam in West Indies' second inning in this Test was his 15th five-wicket haul in Tests, but his first in the Caribbean for 10 years.

Batsman Jaker's 91 helped his side to victory on the fourth day, while it was also his best ever Test score.

The result itself, meanwhile, marks the first time in history that Bangladesh have won three away Tests in a calendar year.