Tamim Iqbal's maiden Twenty20 century helped Bangladesh storm into the World T20 Super 10s with a resounding 54-run win against Oman via the Duckworth/Lewis method in the last qualifier in Dharamsala Sunday. Put into bat in the knockout encounter, Bangladesh rode on Tamim's unbeaten 63-ball 103 to post 180 for two. Oman was restricted to 65 for nine in pursuit of its rain revised target of 120 in 12 overs. Tamim, who has been in blazing form with scores of 83 and 47 in the first two games, became Bangladesh's only centurion in T20s. "The next stage is very important for us. The Pakistan game is very important. I hope I can continue the form. I finally got a hundred, that was due," said Man-of-the-Match Tamim. The left-handed batsman made sure Bangladesh didn't lose early wickets with the Oman bowlers making the ball move on a moisture-laden track post evening showers. Making a composed start along with Soumya Sarkar, Tamim switched gears after registering his second fifty of the tournament and there was no looking back. Tamim, who clobbered 10 fours and five sixes, soon found company in Sabbir Rahman as the duo hit the ball to all parts of the picturesque ground during their 92-run partnership. Getting plenty of confidence from their batting show, Bangladesh's bowlers picked up regular wickets to flatten Oman's rain-hit chase. The Sultan Ahmed-led side, which mostly consists of Indian and Pakistani expats, never really got going and the two rain interventions during its stop-start chase didn't help the cause either. Shakib Al Hasan picked up four wickets while skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain and Sabbir bagged one each. Bangladesh will now meet host India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia in Group 2 of the Super 10s. Earlier, medium-pacer Paul van Meekeren bagged four wickets to help Netherlands notch up a consolation 12-run win via Duckworth/Lewis method against Ireland. Invited to bat in the inconsequential group tie, the Dutch made sure their opening show of 59 for five remains untouched after restricting Ireland to 47 for seven. Monday remains a rest day before India faces New Zealand in the main draw opener Tuesday.
