The United States national cricket team defeated Bangladesh 2–1 in a Twenty20 series, the first time ever that the U.S. has defeated a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in an international series. Going into this series, Bangladesh was ranked ninth in the world in Twenty20 international (T20I) play. The U.S. was ranked 19th. It is also the first time the U.S. has won a series against a top-ten team.
The U.S. hosted Bangladesh at the Prairie View Cricket Complex outside Houston for all three matches. The U.S. won the first two matches on Tuesday and Thursday before losing the third on Saturday.
Conditions at Prairie View were difficult for batting. In the first match, Bangladesh batted first and put up 153 runs, a relatively low score for T20 cricket. But it proved difficult for the U.S. to beat after some trouble in the middle of its innings. The U.S. was saved by a strong closing performance from Harmeet Singh, who scored 33 runs not out on only 13 balls.
In the second match, the U.S. batted first and put up only 144 runs. The match looked very promising for Bangladesh, but batting again proved difficult. This time the U.S. was saved by a strong bowling performance from Ali Khan, who took three wickets in the final three overs, including the tenth wicket that ended the match. U.S. bowlers held the last six Bangladeshi batsmen to only 18 runs combined.
Having already won the series, the U.S. did not play several of its normal starters in the third match. The U.S. batted first and scored only 104 runs, including a stretch of five overs in the middle of the innings with only eight runs. Bangladeshi bowler Mustafizur Rahman was brilliant, taking six wickets and conceding only ten runs. Bangladesh exceeded the U.S. run total in only the twelfth over.
Only twelve countries, one of which is Bangladesh, are full members of the International Cricket Council. They are certified to play Test cricket, the highest form of the game. That’s the version that can last up to five days, with breaks for lunch and tea.
The U.S. is not a full member and cannot play Test matches. It can play one-day international (ODI) matches and Twenty20 international (T20I) matches. ODIs are limited to 50 overs for each side and last one day, and T20Is are limited to 20 overs for each side and last about three hours. (One over contains six balls.)
Last year was the first season of Major League Cricket, a U.S. franchise cricket league. The six-team league attracted many top international players and serves to help develop U.S. cricket talent as well. The championship match was held near Dallas before a packed stadium of cricket fans.
The U.S. and the West Indies are cohosting the T20 World Cup in June. As a host country, the U.S. automatically qualifies for the tournament. Matches in the U.S. will be played in New York, Texas, and Florida. This series win right before the World Cup will give the U.S. momentum to maybe score an upset in the tournament.
“We need to put USA out there on the world cricket map,” Ali Khan said after the second match. “Sometimes when you win against a big side, they say oh it is a fluke. But beating them twice, back-to-back, winning the series is not a fluke. We have the talent, skills and the ability if given the opportunities.”