Mustafizur lights up Eden Gardens with first five-wicket haul for Bangladesh in World T20

As a setting sun coloured the sky over the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, a breathtaking spectacle from young Mustafizur Rahman lit up the iconic venue during Bangladesh's last World Twenty20 clash with New Zealand.

The wily 20-year-old seamer left the batsmen groping in the dark to claim five Black Caps scalps for 22 runs on Saturday, becoming the youngest bowler to grab five wickets in a World T20 match since its inception in 2007.

The Kiwis, who had already sealed a semifinals spot, still racked up 145-8 on a gripping surface before skittling the Tigers out for an embarrassing 70 to complete a 75-run rout and maintain their 100% winning record in this edition of the showcase event.

Mustafizur's return was Bangladesh's first five-wicket haul in a World T20 tournament, second best in the shortest format after Elias Sunny's 5-13 against Ireland in 2012.

With the career-best T20I haul, Mustafizur now has the best bowling figures in this World Cup edition so far, followed by Australia's James Faulkner who returned 5-27 against Pakistan.

He missed the last two matches, including the final, of the Asia Cup with an injury. The side strain also kept him out of the entire first round and the first match of the Super 10s of the showcase event.

Mustafizur returned to action taking two wickets each against Australia and India.

He then delivered his best in his third match as his slower cutters left the New Zealand batsmen flummoxed.

Skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza introduced Mustafizur in the attack in the fourth over.

New Zealand opener Henry Nicholls was finding it hard to time the ball from the start of the over. Mutafizur drew him onto the frontfoot before sneaking a cutter between his bat and pad to knock down the offstump.

Mashrafe considered bringing Sabbir Rahman into the attack in the ninth over but threw the ball to Mustafizur instead. He paid back the skipper’s faith in kind with the crucial wicket of Kane Williamson.

The Kiwi captain, who had been brilliant thus far, started with an inside edge on to the pad. He struck a boundary before being fooled in the next two deliveries. In frustration, he tried a swipe off the left-armer, only to be bowled around his legs.

Mashrafe held back two of his overs and did not bring him back until the 18th over. Mustafizur snared three wickets all with cutter in those two overs.

With New Zealand batsmen looking to stage a late onslaught, he forced Grant Elliott to play a slow cutter too early to midwicket.

Mitchell Santner and Nathan McCullum were both bowled in the final over in successive deliveries as four of Mustafizur's five wicket-taking deliveries crashed into the timber.

His hat-trick delivery, however, was bludgeoned over long on for a huge six.

In T20Is, Mustafizur is now the second youngest bowler boasting a five-wicket haul after Scottish southpaw Mark Watt who returned 5-27 against the Netherlands last month at the age of 19 years and 191 days.

Before this, Shakib Al Hasan's four for 15 against Oman in the first round was the best for a Bangladeshi bowler in World T20.