Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and elected to bat first. The Americans got off to a good start, losing just 42 runs in the mandatory powerplay and reaching 100 in 14.5 overs. Despite a crucial third-wicket partnership, they posted scores of 144/6 in 20 overs.
Bangladesh fought back and struggled early on but steadily recovered to reach 76/2 at the drinks break, but fell short, losing by six runs to 138/10 in 19.3 overs. Monak Patel with 42 and Ali Khan with three wickets stood out as the heroes of the second T20 match, while big names like Shakib Al Hasan let the Bangladesh team down.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ali Khan said: “If we are given the opportunity and continue to play at associate level or below, we will stay there. But playing against top 10 teams is a chance to cause an upset and showcase our talent. Associate members should play more games against full members to show the world what we are made of.”
Bangladesh scored 153 in the first T20 but were chased down by the USA with five wickets to spare on May 21.
From India’s perspective, it will be important to keep an eye on how the US cricket team performs as they are scheduled to face the USA for the third time in the T20 World Cup on June 12. It will also be important to understand the strengths and capabilities of the US team.
On May 3, the United States announced its 15-player squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, and most of them are of Indian descent.
Team: Monank Patel (captain), Aaron Jones (vice-captain), Steven Taylor, Corey Anderson, Saurabh Netravalkar, Jesse Singh, Harmeet Singh, Nostush Kendzige, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Nitish Kumar, Andries Goos, Shayan Jahangir, Ali Khan, Nisarg Patel, Milind Kumar.
Subs: Gajanand Singh, Juanoi Drysdale, Yasir Mohammed.
