Bangladesh secured a thrilling two-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Texas, marking a successful start in Group D of the T20 World Cup.
Rishad Hossain’s brilliant leg-spin spell helped Bangladesh restrict Sri Lanka to 124-9.
Initial strong batting by Liton Das (36) and Towhid Hridoy (40 from 20 balls) put Bangladesh in control, but a late resurgence by Nuwan Thushara threatened their victory.
However, veteran Mahmudullah Riyad’s experience guided Bangladesh to victory with an unbeaten 16.
The game took place at the Grand Prairie Stadium, providing an entertaining contest between bat and ball on a lively surface.
After Sri Lanka’s fast start, Rishad’s two wickets in successive balls changed the course of the game, leading to Sri Lanka only scoring 24 runs in the final six overs.
Rishad ended with career-best T20I figures of 3-22, supported by Mustafizur Rahman’s 3-17 and Taskin Ahmed’s 2-25.
Despite a shaky start for Bangladesh, Liton and Hridoy’s partnership proved crucial as they chased down the target.
Captain Najmul Hossain praised his team’s effort and highlighted the performances of Liton and Hridoy.
With this win, Bangladesh bounced back from an underwhelming warm-up campaign and are looking ahead to the rest of the tournament.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s captain Hasaranga expressed disappointment over the batting performances in their consecutive losses in the tournament.
Overall, Bangladesh’s victory was well-deserved and sets a positive tone for their T20 World Cup campaign.
