Ali Khan led a spirited bowling performance as the USA registered a thrilling six-run win over Bangladesh in the second T20I to seal a historic series victory. Skipper Monank Patel’s 38-ball 42, along with useful 30s from Steven Taylor and Aaron Jones helped the hosts finish with 144/6 at the Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto top-scored with 36 but the visiting side fell short of the target after losing their last six wickets for only 32 runs to concede an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Ali Khan played the starring role as USA fought their way to a T20I series win over Bangladesh at home, going up 2-0 in the three-match series in Texas on Thursday. Ali Khan’s three-wicket haul helped USA to a six-run win in the second game after they had won the first game courtesy Harmeet Singh’s big hitting.
Pitch and Toss
The pitch in the first game was on the slower side and stroke makers found it tough to get going. The pitch for the second game is also likely to be same and cutters from pacers on this pitch will be effective. Also, spinners could be hard to get away as well and it is a pitch where bowlers would generally like to hit hard lengths.
For batters, it is important that they apply themselves and once they are set, can score runs, but it most probably won’t be a high-scoring encounter and there will be good balance between bat and ball. So, expect a close contest and let’s see how things pan out in what could be a historical game.
Bangladesh skipper Nazmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and chose to bowl with 2 changes in the squad bringing in Tanzid Hasan & Tanzim Hasan Sakib for Litton Das & Mahedi Hasan. USA skipper Monank Patel batting first made one change to his playing XI bringing in Shadley Van Schalkwyk for Nosthush Kenjige
Rishad strikes after good USA start
Shoriful, Mustafizur join the party as USA got restricted to 144 in 20 overs.
USA make early inroads in Bangladesh chase
In the chase, Netravalkar gave USA the early breakthrough they wanted defending a smallish total. He caught and bowled Soumya Sarkar, who feebly pushed the fourth ball of the innings back to the bowler. Tanzid Hasan hit a six off Ali Khan, before tickling a boundary off Steven Taylor in the fourth over. Tanzid, however, threw away his good start when he was bowled attempting to pull a delivery from Jessy Singh that wasn’t short enough for the shot.
After that, Shanto and Hridoy, who made a fifty in the first game, added 48 runs for the third wicket. Hridoy and Shanto struck Harmeet for a six each in the tenth over, both hitting the ball relatively straight. But Shanto and Hridoy got into a mix-up in the 11th over and Shanto was left stranded in the middle of the pitch. Corey Anderson then bowled Hridoy in the 13th over for 25 off 21 balls before Shadley van Schalkwyk did the same to Mahmudullah in the 15th over.
Bangladesh suffered an early setback in the chase as Saurabh Netravalkar dismissed Soumya Sarkar for a golden duck. Tanzid Hasan, who got off to a promising start, was cleaned up by Jessy Singh in the fifth over and Bangladesh finished with only 43/2 in the powerplay. Najmul and Towhid Hridoy put on a 48-run stand before the Bangladesh captain was run out. Anderson then accounted for Hridoy’s wicket as Bangladesh slipped to 92/4 after 13 overs.
Ali Khan swings it USA’s way in middle overs
Ali Khan the last-over hero for a thrilling series win over Bangladesh
Rishad slammed Ali Khan for a one-bounce four at the end of the 18th over to keep Bangladesh in the hunt but Netravalkar bowled Shoriful in the penultimate over. Mustafizur took a single off the last ball of the over, before running a bye at the start of the last over. Rishad struck Ali Khan for a four through long-on but next ball, Ali Khan took his inside edge as he tried to ramp the fast bowler, sparking huge celebrations for USA.
Netravalkar bowled an excellent penultimate over, conceding only three runs and picking up the wicket of Shoriful. With 12 needed in the last over, Mustafizur scampered to the non-striker’s end with a bye off the first ball and then Rishad struck a four off Ali Khan. Bangladesh needed 7 off 4 balls when an attempted scoop shot proved fatal for Bangladesh as Rishad fell to Ali Khan off the third ball, bringing an end to Bangladesh’s innings.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Nazmul Hossain Shanto the losing skipper said : Very disappointing for us. We lost wickets in the middle overs, that was the reason why we lost. We didn’t play well, but we have an opportunity to come up with a good plan in the next match. We should change our mindset, it’s not about our skills.
Monank Patel the winning skipper said : We thought we were 10 runs short, but we played with a fighting attitude, really proud of the boys. The way the bowlers bowled in the powerplay and in the last 5 overs, they used the conditions well and took wickets. Leading into the World Cup winning will give us confidence.
Ali Khan Player of the Match for his 3 wickets said : I think it was a low scoring game, the wicket slowed down in the second innings. Credit goes to the bowlers, kept taking wickets. Put the pressure back on Bangladesh. Was a good 19th over by Netravalkar, that helped me in the last over. My goal was to back myself and try to get the wicket. That four put the pressure back on me, but I got back to my strengths. The tail enders expect yorkers, so tried to go short.
USA bowled superbly in the death overs with Ali Khan picking up all his three wickets in that period, while Saurabh Netravalkar took one in the 19th over. On Tuesday, when USA won the first game, it was their first win over a top-ten T20I side. This time, they went one step further. It will be a huge boost for the team ahead of the T20 World Cup next month.
For Bangladesh, it’s a cricketing disaster. They couldn’t get the 145-run chase on track from the start. They lost two wickets inside the powerplay before a rush of wickets following a 48-run stand between captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy. Shakib Al Hasan tried to get them home but Ali Khan removed him in the 18th over to get USA back in the game.
Rishad Hossain led Bangladesh’s efficient bowling effort after they decided to bowl first. He took 2 for 21, his best and most economical spell in T20Is, while Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam also took two each. USA captain Monank Patel top scored with 42 while his deputy Aaron Jones got 35, but the home side couldn’t take advantage of a decent powerplay.
A disappointing batting performance by Bangladesh as they have lost two matches on the bounce against USA. It was a decent effort by their bowlers to restrict USA below the 150-run mark, but their batters haven’t done justice. Shanto and Shakib played useful knocks, however, the experienced duo couldn’t convert those knocks into substantial scores.
The USA bowlers kept striking at regular intervals and Ali Khan finished things off with his 3-wicket spell towards the end. Bangladesh fans will be utterly disappointed with their team’s performance, especially before the T20 World Cup. Will they end the series with a win in the third T20I and enter the World Cup on a positive note will be decided on Saturday.