Malla (27 off 40) was the wicket Nepal could ill-afford to lose, though, gone in the 17th over. But a perfectly-timed maximum from Airee kept Nepal still feeling optimistic with a couple of overs to go, needing 22 off the final 12 balls.
And then up stepped match-winner Mustafizur Rahman to the plate in the 19th over, doing the seemingly impossible. He produced a clutch, perfectly-timed wicket-maiden. It proved to be a match-sealing and stage-qualifying sequence for Bangladesh, who edged out Nepal by 21 runs – the lowest total ever successfully defended in a T20 World Cup match.
The Tigers charge into the second round of the tournament.