Nepal’s captain, Rohit Paudel, downplayed the altercation with Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan, stating there is no ongoing issue between them. Tanzim was instrumental in Bangladesh’s victory, which secured their spot in the Super 8s.

Paudel discussed the incident that occurred during the match against Bangladesh on June 17. Tanzim Hasan’s remarkable performance, where he took 4 wickets for 7 runs in 4 overs, led to Bangladesh winning by 21 runs. Paudel, one of the batsmen dismissed by Tanzim, had an on-field confrontation with him.

During the post-match press conference, Paudel commented on the incident. He praised Tanzim’s bowling, noting how he effectively utilized the new ball and bowled in challenging areas. Paudel clarified that there were no hard feelings, explaining that Tanzim had tried to provoke him by encouraging him to take on his bowling. Paudel’s response was to focus on the game.

“No, I think Tanzim bowled really well. He outplayed us with the new ball, especially given the challenging wicket. He bowled in the right areas and posed difficult questions to us. There’s nothing between us. He told me to hit, and I just said, go and bowl. Nothing else,” Paudel explained.

BAN vs NEP, T20 World Cup Highlights: Nepal’s Batting Collapse

Despite a strong performance from Nepal’s bowlers, who restricted Bangladesh to 106 runs with notable contributions from Sandeep Lamichhane and others, Nepal’s batting lineup faltered. They were bowled out for just 85 runs, failing to utilize the full 20 overs.

Paudel acknowledged their shortcomings as a batting unit on the day.

“We bowled really well throughout the tournament, but as a batting unit, we didn’t step up. Bangladesh bowled exceptionally well, and we batted poorly. There’s no shame in admitting that, and as top-order batsmen, we should have taken responsibility to score those 107 runs. We failed as a batting unit,” Paudel admitted.

With this victory, Bangladesh advanced to the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2024.