USA Stuns Bangladesh in Historic T20I Upset

USA Stuns Bangladesh in Historic T20I Victory

In a major upset, the United States of America (USA) defeated full member Bangladesh by five wickets in the first T20I at the Prairie View Cricket Complex in Texas on Tuesday. The victory marks a significant milestone for the Associate Nation, which has never defeated a full member in a T20I before.

Chasing a modest target of 154, the USA lost half of their team for just 94 runs. However, former New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson (34 not out) and former Mumbai and India U-19 player Harmeet Singh (33 not out) came to the rescue with a crucial 62-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Anderson played cautiously before hitting Mustafizur Rahman and Mahmudullah for a six each. Harmeet hammered back-to-back sixes off Mustafizur Rahman in the 17th over before hitting Shoriful Islam for a six in the 18th over and followed it up with a boundary off the last ball of the over. He sealed victory for the USA with a four off Mahmudullah off the third ball of the 19th over.

Earlier, Bangladesh elected to field first and restricted the USA to just 153/6 in 20 overs. Middle-order batter Tawhid Hridoy top-scored for Bangladesh with 58 off 47 balls, while Mahmudullah contributed 31 and Soumya Sarkar added 20.

The USA's victory sparked a meme fest on social media, with many users highlighting the fact that the team is largely composed of players of Indian origin. The win also raised questions about the future of Associate Nations in international cricket and the need for more opportunities for them to compete against full members.

Tags: #USACricket, #BangladeshCricket, #T20I, #AssociateNations, #CricketUpset