Mustafizur stars with six-fer as Bangladesh beat USA in third T20I

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Bangladesh managed to restore some of their bruised confidence by convincingly defeating the USA by 10 wickets in the final match of their three-game series in Houston.

Mustafizur Rahman's exceptional performance, claiming six wickets, significantly contributed to Bangladesh's success.

Restricting the Americans to a mere 104-9 in their allotted 20 overs, Bangladesh chased down the target in just 11.4 overs without losing a single wicket.

Despite the USA's surprising victories in the first two matches, Bangladesh salvaged pride by winning the series 2-1.

This victory serves as a morale booster for the Americans as they prepare to co-host the upcoming T20 World Cup with West Indies. However, their triumph was dampened by Bangladesh's dominant display in the final encounter.

Shayan Jahangir and Andries Gous gave the hosts a strong start, contributing 46 runs together. Gous, who scored 27 runs off 15 balls with four fours and a six, was caught by Soumya Sarkar at long-off off Shakib Al Hasan's bowling. Jahangir, who scored 18 runs, was dismissed five balls later while attempting to pull Mustafizur, finding Tanzim Hasan Sakib at square-leg.

After their dismissals, the American team struggled to maintain momentum, only adding 14 runs for the next three wickets as their run-rate dropped significantly. Mustafizur, the left-arm medium pacer, returned for his second spell towards the end of the innings, achieving his career-best T20I figures of 6-10.

In the chase, Bangladesh comfortably reached the target with Tanzid Hasan scoring 58 runs off 42 balls and Soumya scoring 43 runs off 28 balls. The American bowling attack failed to apply any significant pressure, allowing Bangladesh to secure the win easily.

Najmul Hossain Shanto, the Bangladesh captain, expressed satisfaction with his team's response to the earlier losses, emphasizing their execution of pre-match plans. Despite disappointment over losing the series, he believes the newfound confidence will benefit Bangladesh in the upcoming World Cup.

On the other hand, USA vice-captain Aaron Jones attributed their defeat to poor shot selection by the batsmen, acknowledging the need for improvement. Looking ahead, the USA aims to fine-tune their combination through two warm-up matches before the crucial clash against Canada in the World Cup opener. These preparatory games are deemed vital for finalizing strategies and team dynamics.