USA Stuns Bangladesh: Harmeet and Anderson Lead Thrilling 5 Wickets Victory in Texas
The United States of America pulled off a remarkable upset, defeating Bangladesh by five wickets in a thrilling encounter in Texas.
In Texas, the hosts tracked down 154 with three deliveries remaining.
Bangladesh 153 for 6 (Hridoy 58, Mahmudullah 31, Taylor 2-9) was defeated by USA 156 for 5 (Anderson 34*, Harmeet 33*, Mustafizur 2-41) by five wickets.
With a five-wicket victory in Texas, the United States of America, the 19th-ranked cricket team in the world in Twenty20 Internationals, stunned Bangladesh, the ninth-ranked side globally. More remarkably, the hosts controlled the majority of the action, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and winning their second T20I match against a Full Member after defeating Ireland in 2021.
The former India Under-19 cricket player Harmeet Singh changed the tide in favor of the USA with three straight sixes, setting up a chase of 154 runs in which he blasted the winning runs. Together with Corey Anderson, who was not out at 34, he amassed 62 runs in 4.4 overs to form an undefeated sixth wicket. He finished on 33 off 13 balls.
Additionally, the USA bowled brilliantly to hold Bangladesh to 156 for 4. After dropping to 68 for 4, Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto were still having trouble for the visitors. Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah, on the other hand, carried on saving the squad from difficult circumstances as they have done throughout the year, leading the team to a creditable 153.
With 58 runs, Hridoy held the leading score until the twentieth over. Along with Mahmudullah, who shown that he can adjust to conditions quicker than most players in this batting lineup, he added 67 runs for the fifth wicket.
Litton failed to live up to the confidence the Bangladeshi team management placed in him, falling for 14 in the fifth over. When he was on 2, American captain Monank Patel dropped a sitter behind the stumps, but he had already made it through a dropped catch. Litton also avoided a run-out when he was left stranded a few feet from the crease and the cover fielder was unable to hit the stumps.
After hitting a terrific straight six in the third over, Litton appeared more nervous. He was bowled out by Jasdeep Singh’s excellent opening over after he had missed the ramp-scoop against Ali Khan in the fifth over. The delivery by Jasdeep bounced back into Litton.
Three balls later, Soumya Sarkar followed him back to the dugout after hitting Steven Taylor squarely in the deep midwicket’s throat. Another top-order batsmen for Bangladesh, Najmul Hossain Shanto, who is currently out of form, was stumped by Taylor. He made three out of eleven, not being able to time any ball.
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Before things got better, Hridoy made them worse. Hridoy poked the ball towards the cover, but Shakib Al Hasan came hurtling down the pitch, seeking a quick single, and Hridoy froze. It was 68 for 4 after the run-out in the twelfth over. After hitting two sixes off Jasdeep to make up for it, Hridoy was caught in the covers in the fourteenth over.
Harmeet, a left-arm spinner, fortunately bowled the first of his two no-balls to the hitter. In the 17th over, Mahmudullah hit Khan for a four and a six, but he was caught by Nitish Kumar at long-on when he attempted to heave Saurabh Netravalkar over.
More significantly, Mahmudullah and Hridoy scored 67 runs for the fifth wicket, despite his 31 off 22 balls. Hridoy and Jaker Ali scored 17 runs in the final over, but at least Khan got rid of Hridoy with the final ball of the innings.
When Shanto, his opposite number, dropped Monank Patel in the third over after he was run out by Taylor’s straight drive, Patel was unable to capitalize. Shoriful Islam’s fingers grazed the ball as Patel emerged from his crease.
Andries Gous, the third-ranked player for the USA, got things starting in two balls with a punch past the covers. Before Gous struck Rishad Hossain for two fours in the seventh over, Taylor hammered Shakib for a six. In the next over, he gave Rishad the same dose as before, but instead of going to the deep backward square-leg boundary, he top-edged a sweep, and Mustafizur Rahman made a good tumbling catch.
Gous’s dismissal hampered the USA’s batting strategy. Because Aaron Jones was unable to timing the ball, Taylor was forced to attempt a mid-off clearance. With a brilliant catch and a runback, Mahmudullah ended Taylor’s innings on 28 balls out of 29. Jones left after one ball, hitting Mustafizur for four.
After a 5.1 over stretch without a boundary, Nitish Kumar broke the run in the 14th over with a six off Shakib, but in the 15th over, he fell while attempting to clear Shoriful. After giving up just one run in that over, the left-arm quick allowed the US to score sixty runs in the final five overs.
When the home team needed fifty runs in the final twenty overs, they were losing control of the required run-rate. After scrounging around for five balls, Harmeet hit Mustafizur for two consecutive sixes to relieve Bangladesh of pressure. In the subsequent over, Harmeet struck out at Shoriful once more, sending him flying into the air. After scoring 31 runs in two overs, he ended the eighteenth over with a sliced four through point, leaving the USA requiring 24 off the final 12 balls.
While Harmeet was hitting booming sixes, Anderson was going about his business. In the last over, the former all-rounder from New Zealand finally smacked a six off his 22nd ball when he crashed Mustafizur over long-on. He hit another six off the opening ball of the final over, Mahmudullah. With five balls remaining, the USA needed just three runs to win. With a four off the third ball, Harmeet gave the home team a historic victory.
