Agency :
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto praised his team’s dedicated effort but said they should’ve won the match more comfortably following their two-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the opening match of the T20 World Cup at Grand Prairie in Dallas on Saturday.
“Everybody’ body language was great, we gave our 120%. Last 10-15 days we have been making plans and all the fielders are doing their job. I think they bowled really well, but on a wicket like this we should have won this easily,” said the ever-smiling Tigers’ skipper during post-match presentation.
Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain delivered an outstanding performance with figures of 3-22, supported by Taskin Ahmed’s 2-25, effectively limiting Sri Lanka to 124-9.
In the run chase, Towhid Hridoy’s powerful 40 off 20 balls, including four sixes, propelled Bangladesh to their target with an over remaining.
“Hridoy was really courageous, the way he played that over really helped us,” Shanto said.
The chase began dramatically, with Bangladesh losing two wickets within the first two overs. They found themselves in trouble at 28-3 in the sixth over.
However, Towhid Hridoy and Litton Das (36 off 38) anchored the innings with a crucial 63-run partnership for the fourth wicket, paving the way for Bangladesh’s successful pursuit.