Hobart, Oct 24: Pacer Taskin Ahmed produced career best figures of 4/25 as Bangladesh bounced back from an insipid batting show to defeat the Netherlands by nine runs in their opening Super-12 game of the T20 World Cup here on Monday.

Paol van Meekeren led the show with a tidy 2/21 as the Netherlands bounced back after the Power Play to restrict Bangladesh to a modest 144 for eight.

Bangladesh needed to lift themselves in the bowling department and they did that via Taskin who helped his team dismiss the opposition for 135.

The fast bowler got into the act straightway, inflicting a twin blow on the first two balls.

Colin Ackermann fought valiantly in his 48-ball 62 but did not get support from the other batters.

This was Bangladesh's first ever win in the second round of a T20 World Cup. They next face South Africa in Sydney on Thursday. The Netherlands on the other hand will take on India.

Defending a modest 145, Bangladesh got off to a sensational start when Taskin rattled the Netherlands with with two wickets off as many balls to send back Vikramjit Singh (0) and Bas de Leede (0).

Bangladesh then effected two run outs of Max O'Dowd (8) and Tom Cooper (0) inside the Power Play to leave the Netherlands' chase in disarray with 15/4 inside four overs.

Just when the Dutch looked to recover, the veteran Shakib Al Hasan removed his counterpart Sctott Edwards (16) with a delivery going down the leg side.

At the other end, rookie Hasan Mahmud calmly went about his way with his skiddy and quick arm action and returned with miserly figures 4-1-15-2 to edge them closer to a come-from-behind win.

Earlier, Van Meekeren triggered the Bangladesh collapse dismissing Soumya Sarkar (14; 14b; 2x4) inside the Power Play as Bangladesh went on to lose five wickets for 33 runs.

It was Atif Hossan who held the innings together at one end with a spirited 27-ball 38 but there was hardly any support for him in the middle with the likes of skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das (9) getting out cheaply.

Afif slammed two boundaries and as many sixes with Mosaddek Hossain (12-ball 20 not out; 2x4, 1x6) giving him company to prop up the total.

Making his T20 World Cup debut, 19-year-old leg-spinner Shariz Ahmed had the prized scalp of Shakib when the Bangladesh star skipper miscued a slog sweep to be caught at square boundary. Ahmed returned with impressive figures of 3-0-27-1.

Playing two young spinners was a bold decision by the Dutch skipper Scott Edwards as 20-year-old leftarm spinner Tim Pringle also returned with a tidy 2-0-10-1 to dent Bangladesh's recovery.

Sent in, Bangladesh got off to a solid start with Najmul Hossain Shanto (25) and Soumya Sarkar (14) putting on a 43-run opening wicket partnership in five overs.

Sarkar took on Fead Klaasen who looked wayward as he smashed the Dutch pacer for two boundaries to get them off to a flier.

Left-handed Shanto also played a perfect foil as he cracked back to back fours against Bas de Leede as Bangladesh cruised to 33 for no loss.

But a change of ends to Van Meekeren did the trick for the Dutch as the pacer gave the vital breakthrough of Sarkar that brought on the imminent collapse.

Rain came to Bangladesh's rescue briefly after they slipped to 63/4 in the 10th over.

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New Delhi (PTI): Retaliating against the Pahalgam terror attack two weeks ago, Indian armed forces on early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including in Bahawalpur, a stronghold of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The military strikes were carried out under Operation Sindoor, the defence ministry said in a statement at 1.44 am. It said the actions by the Indian armed forces were "focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature".

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the Indian missile strikes an "act of war" and said his country has every right to give a "befitting reply".

The Indian statement said, "A little while ago, the Indian Armed forces launched 'Operation Sindoor' hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed."

"No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution," it said.

Sources added that the strikes on all nine targets were successful and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was monitoring Operation Sindoor closely.

Among the nine sites targeted are the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur and the Lashkar-e-Taiba's in Muridke, both in Pakistan Punjab, officials said.

India's actions come two weeks after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that triggered widespread outrage in India and abroad.

"These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered," the defence ministry statement said.

"We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable," it said.

In a post on 'X' in Hindi shortly after the strikes, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Long live Mother India!" (Bharat Mata Ki Jai)".

"Justice is Served," the Indian Army said in its post.

Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said missile strikes were fired by India at Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Bahawalpur.

Some time ago, India launched air strikes in in Bahwalpur's Ahmed East area, Kotli and Muzaffarabad at three places from the air, he told ARY News channel.

"All of our air force jets are airborne. This cowardly and shameful attack was carried out from within India's airspace. They were never allowed to come and intrude into the space of Pakistan," he said.

"Let me say it unequivocally: Pakistan will respond to this at a time and place of its own choosing. This heinous provocation will not go unanswered," he added.

Sources in the Indian military establishment said all air defence units have been put on alert along the frontier with Pakistan.

Following the operation, India reached out to several leading countries, including the US, Russia, the UK, UAE and Saudi Arabia and briefed them about the military strike on the nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir, the sources said.

"Senior Indian officials have spoken to their counterparts in a number of countries to brief them on the steps taken by India," said a source.

The operation came days after Modi gave the armed forces full freedom to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack.

In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass, the prime minister on April 29 gave the armed forces "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of the response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Modi also emphasised the national resolve to deal a "crushing blow to terrorism".