USA takes a convincing lead against Bangladesh in a T20I series
The USA cricket team, ranked far lower than Bangladesh, pulled off another surprising victory in the second T20I match between the two sides. This win comes after their unexpected triumph in the first game of the three-match series held at the Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston.
This is the first series win for the USA against a Test-playing nation.
The USA upset higher-ranked Bangladesh, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the T20I series and serving them a wake-up call ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh’s batting faltered under pressure, as they were bundled out for 138 in 19.3 overs, falling short of the 145-run target set by the USA.
Needing just 145 to win, Bangladesh’s hopes took an immediate blow. Saurabh Netravalkar’s brilliant return catch to dismiss Soumya Sarkar in the first over left them with a tough climb from the get-go.
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Brought in for Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan threatened early with a four and a six. However, his promising knock was cut short by Jessy Singh in his first over, leaving Bangladesh with 19 runs from Tanzid’s 15 balls.
Despite early setbacks with two quick wickets, Bangladesh clawed their way back into the chase. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy stitched together a crucial 48-run partnership off just 37 balls, putting the visitors back in control.
Disaster struck Bangladesh as the well-set Shanto (36 off 34) was run out due to a miscommunication with Hridoy. Just as Hridoy (25 off 21) started to pick up the slack, he was sent back by Corey Anderson, leaving Bangladesh’s chase in tatters.
Shakib’s 30 off 23 put the USA’s win in danger but Khan had him dismissed and Bangladesh was again in an unstable situation.
With just one wicket remaining, Bangladesh faced a near-impossible task. Khan and Netravalkar’s exceptional bowling in the final overs had restricted them to needing 12 runs to win in the final over.
Hossain smashed a boundary off Khan, bringing the equation down to a tense seven runs needed from four balls. But his joy was short-lived. The next delivery saw him miscue a shot, the ball brushing his bat before reaching Captain Patel behind the stumps. This dismissal secured the victory for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh held the USA to a modest 144 runs for 6 wickets. Openers Steven Taylor and Monank Patel provided a decent start, putting together a 44-run partnership off the first 6.4 overs.
Rishad Hossain, the leg-spinner, stifled USA’s momentum right after the powerplay by taking two key wickets. He dismissed Taylor, who was well set on 28, and the dangerous Andries Gous, restricting them to 21 runs for 2 wickets in his spell.
While Aaron Jones (35 off 34) and Patel (42 off 38) managed to stick around, they weren’t able to convert their decent starts into a quickfire innings as they had hoped.
USA’s batting faltered in the middle overs, scoring only 59 runs for just 2 wickets (7-15 overs). This slow phase restricted their final total. They could only manage another 43 runs in the last five overs.
Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam, the left-arm pace duo, were instrumental in Bangladesh’s bowling attack, claiming four wickets between them.
It’s important to remember that this three-match series is a crucial warm-up for both teams before the Twenty20 World Cup which kicks off on June 1st in the United States and the Caribbean.
The last match of the three-match T20I series is scheduled for Saturday, May 25th in Houston.
