Underdogs US secure second upset, defeat Bangladesh once more

HOUSTON: In a second major upset, the United States (US) men’s cricket team secured another victory against Bangladesh in the second T20 International (T20I) match.

The audience at the Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston, US witnessed history unfold as underdogs, and a completely rookie team defeated a four-time T20 world cup champion.

Read more: US stuns cricket world with huge victory over Bangladesh

Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bowl first, a decision that cost them dearly.

The US team set a challenging target of 145 runs for Bangladesh. Monanik Patel scored 42 runs at cost of 38 balls while Erin Jones scored 35 for 34 balls. Meanwhile, Steven Taylor went for 31 runs in 28 balls.

While Bangladeshi bowlers put up a good fight, the US batters thrashed them dearly. Rishad Hossain claimed two wickets but yielded 22 runs in his allotted four overs. Similarly, Shoriful Islam clinched two wickets but conceded 29 runs in four runs. Mustafizur Rahman also took two wickets but yielded the highest runs to US (31).

Bangladesh batters displayed resilience while pursing the target but ultimately fell short, being bowled out for 138 runs 19.3 overs.

Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 36 against 234 balls, Shakib al Hasan 30 at cost of 23 balls, and Towhid Hridoy chased 25 runs against 21 balls.

However, the Bangladesh batting line-up could not sustain the US bowling attack. Ali Khan took three wickets against 25 runs in 3.3 overs. Saurabh Natravalkar and Shadley van Schalkwyk each clinched two wickets each, while conceding a combined 36 runs in seven overs.

Ali Khan’s stellar bowling earned him the title of the best player of the match.

Bangladesh is currently on a US tour as part of their preparations for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. However, their encounters against the US side have proven to be challenging.

Read more: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 schedule revealed

Looking ahead, the third and final T20 match between the US and Bangladesh is scheduled to take place on Saturday (tomorrow).