Bangladesh stunned England by six wickets in the first T20I of their three-match series in Chattogram on Thursday, delivering a clinical performance in both bowling and batting.
Bangladesh lost the ODI series by 2-1, but with this win, they made a great start to the T20I series.
Najmul Hossain Shanto continued his good form, hitting a half-century in this match and helping Bangladesh chase a challenging target of 157. He made 51 runs off 30 balls with eight fours, while Shakib Al Hasan remained unbeaten with 34 runs off 24 balls, including six fours.
Rony Talukdar, who returned to the T20I team after eight years, helped the Tigers get off to a flying start by hitting 21 runs off 14 balls. Towhid Hridoy, who made his international debut in this match, also impressed, scoring 24 runs off 17 balls and contributing the only six of Bangladesh’s innings.
Overall, it was a collective batting effort from Bangladesh that secured their maiden T20I win against England.
Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and sent England to bat first. They scored 157 for 6, with captain Joss Buttler hitting the highest score of 67 runs off 42 balls. He and Philip Salt made 80 runs in the first wicket stand, providing England with a solid foundation.
However, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed broke the partnership, and England lost another quick wicket when Dawid Malan fell to Shakib for just four runs.
England lost their third and fourth wickets at 135, and eventually ended their innings on 156 for 6.
Hasan Mahmud was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh, taking two wickets for 26 runs in his four overs. Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shakib Al Hasan each took one wicket.
The second and third T20I will be played in Dhaka on March 12 and 14.
