Houston (USA): Bangladesh defeated the USA by 10 wickets in the third and final T20I but finished the series 2-1 after suffering defeats in the first two matches. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said the result was disappointing but it gave them a chance to adapt to the conditions ahead of the T20 World Cup.
USA are the co-hosts of the T20 showpiece along with the West Indies that starts on June 1 (June 2 as per Indian Standard time).
In the third T20I on Saturday, pacer Mustafizur Rehman’s exceptional 6-10 figures allowed them to restrict the USA for 109/9 in 20 overs. Tanzid Hasan’s unbeaten half-century (58*) coupled with opener Saumya Sarkar’s 28-ball 43 not out handed the visitors a 10-wicket win in 11.4 overs.
“Boys showed a lot of character and everyone executed their plans. It’s very disappointing to lose the series, we did not play well, to be honest. But to finish on a high today will help us ahead of the World Cup. We know the conditions and how it will be and we are looking forward,” Santo said in the post-match presentation.
Mustafizur was adjudged Player of the Match as well as Player of the Series for bagging 10 wickets in three games. The left-arm pacer said his variations yielded results for him in the series. “Very happy with the way I bowled. I tried a lot of variations and mixed it up. Feeling really good for winning these awards,” he said.
Bangladesh will now take on the USA and India in the two warm-up matches before locking horns with Sri Lanka in their T20 World Cup opener on June 7 (June 8 as per IST)
–IANS