USA have defeated Bangladesh by five wickets in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Prairie View in Houston.
Both sides were meeting in an international match for the first time and the home side caused one of the biggest upsets.
Earlier, Bangladesh were restricted on the back of economical Steven Taylor’s bowling. Litton Das, who took 15 balls to get just 14 runs, was trapped for an LBW by Jessy Singh.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto also fell cheaply for three runs off 11 balls.
Even though Soumya Sarkar scored 20 runs off of just 13 balls, he was unable to build on his strong start. Bangladesh was losing 68-4 as star all-rounder Shakib also went cheaply (6).
Mahmudullah Riyad and Towhid Hridoy skillfully partnered to assist Bangladesh in making a comeback.
Before Mahmudullah was dismissed by Netravalkar after 31 balls out of 22, the pair put up a 67-run stand in just 47 balls. Towhid Hridoy, however, remained cool and collected as he hit 58 off 47 balls and a vital fifty to aid the visitors in posting 153 on the scoreboard.
Steven Taylor picked up 2 wickets, while Netravalkar, Ali Khan and Jessy Singh shared one wicket apiece.
In response, the USA got off to a good start. Steven Taylor hit 28 runs off of 29 balls, but after seeing a flurry of boundaries earlier, he found it difficult to get going.
Monak Patel, the other opener, scored 12 out of 10 balls. After two quick wickets, Andries Gous came in at number three and quickly made his way to 33 off just 18 balls, turning the tide in favour of the USA.
The USA needed to score 56 runs in the final four overs, and Harmeet Singh and Corey Anderson displayed their incredible talent.
Anderson led the way with a valiant 34 off 25 balls, while Harmeet tore through Bangladeshi bowling with a magnificent 33 off only 13 balls.
The pair contributed a vital 62 runs off of 28 balls, which aided their team in reaching the target. The USA triumphed by a margin of five wickets, their first-ever victory over a full national Test team.
