Rank cricketing upstarts USA humbled Bangladesh once again, sealing their maiden T20I series victory with a six-run win over the Tigers, at the Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston.
The match turned into a yorker fest, with bails flying everywhere and the USA players joyously celebrating each wicket. Their inspired performance saw them secure an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
Playing against the USA on unfamiliar surfaces resulted in the undoing of the Bangladeshi batters, who are naturally accustomed to the slow turners of the subcontinent. It turned out to be another disappointing day for the Bangladesh batters as they struggled to perform with the willow despite a clinical effort with the ball.
Chasing a gettable target of 144 on a seemingly benign surface, the Bangladesh batters struggled for flow and rhythm, eventually perishing while trying to force the pace against a disciplined bowling effort.
Apart from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, and the in-form Towhid Hridoy, none of the other batters in the Bangladesh dugout managed to rise to the occasion.
Left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar drew first blood in the opening over of the chase, sending back southpaw Soumya Sarkar for a golden duck. Tanzid Hasan followed Sarkar back to the hutch as Jessy Singh dismissed him three overs later for a score of 19 (15). Shanto and Hridoy forged a substantial 48-run stand to keep Bangladesh’s innings from falling apart.
Halfway through the innings, Bangladesh seemed poised to chase down the target comfortably. However, a moment of brilliance from former New Zealand international Corey Anderson altered the course of the game and turned it in favor of the USA.
In the 11th over, Anderson gathered the ball and charged towards the stumps following a mix-up between the two batters. A slight moment of hesitation saw Shanto perish, as he trudged back to the dugout with a personal score of 36 (34).
An over later, an Anderson in-swinger rattled Hridoy’s stumps (25), putting the skids on the Bangladeshi chase. The wicket triggered a collapse that not many in the packed stands at Houston would have seen coming.
Shakib led the fight at one end, but wickets kept falling at the other at regular intervals.
The equation came down to 21 runs off the final three overs for Bangladesh to keep the series alive.
The pressure was on Shakib’s shoulders to see off the game for his team. He tried to go for a drive on a pitched-up delivery but only found an inside edge. A slight miscalculation sent the ball straight to the stumps.
The writing was on the wall for Bangladesh after this dismissal. Still, they managed to stay close to the chase.
With 12 needed off the final six deliveries, Rishad Hossain found the fence on the second ball to raise hopes of an unprecedented comeback. But Ali Khan kept his composure and removed Hossain to bundle out Bangladesh for 138.
Earlier in the innings, Bangladesh won the toss and put the USA to bat. Skipper Monank Patel led the charge with the bat and struck 42. Steven Taylor and Aaron Jones provided valuable contributions with their knocks of 31 and 35, respectively, propelling the USA to 144/7.
Brief Score:
United States: 144/7 in 20 overs (Monank Patel 42, Aaron Jones 35; Rishad Hossain 2/21)
Bangladesh: 138 all out (Najmul Hossain Shanto 36, Shakib Al Hasan 30; Ali Khan 3-25, Saurabh Netravalkar 2-15).
