One of My Best Wins Till Date Says Mahmudullah

It was a Mahmudullah special which helped Bangladesh qualify for the final of the Nidahas Trophy. With 6 required off the last two deliveries of the match, Mahmudullah struck a sensational flicked which eventually helped Bangladesh chase the total down. Earlier in the day it was a great partnership between Kusal Perera and Thisara Perera which helped Sri Lanka post 158 on the board.

Sri Lankan openers Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis began proceedings. The Bangladesh bowlers were on the top from the very start. It was comeback man Shakib-Al-Hasan who provided Bangladesh with the maiden breakthrough in the form of Gunathilaka. He opted for a big shot but mistimed it straight up in the air only to be caught in the deep.

It was Mustafizur Rahman who gave Bangladesh their 2^nd breakthrough in the form of Kusal Mendis’s wicket. It was a similar sort of an off-cutter which took his outside edge and was safely caught behind the stumps by Mushfiqur Rahim. Upul Tharanga was run out in quick succession as Sri Lanka were reduced to 31/3.

Two more wickets fell in quick succession as Dasun Sanaka and Jeevan Mendis were dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman and Mehidy Hasan respectively. However, the duo of Kusal Perera and Thisara Perera forged a partnership to help Sri Lanka overcome from the slump. It was a sensational partnership between the duo which helped the Lankans post a competitive total on the board.

It was Kusal Perera who continued his dream run in the tournament as he kept on smashing the bowlers all around the park despite the continuous fall of wickets till the first 10 overs. Perera after a relatively sedate start picked up the pace and struck some lusty blows in the process.

It was Soumya Sarkar who eventually dismissed Kusal Perera after the southpaw made 61 of 40 deliveries. It contained 7 fours and six during his knock. Perera in the meantime also reached a well-deserved half-century as Sri Lanka eventually managed to score in their allotted 20 overs.

Bangladesh began well with a few boundaries struck by Tamim Iqbal. However, in the very next over his partner, Liton Das was dismissed without bothering the scorers. Sabbir Rahman struck 3 wonderful boundaries before perishing for 13 off 8 deliveries. However, man in form Tamim Iqbal kept going and struck some delightful shots in the process.

It was Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal who shared a 64 runs partnership for the 3^rd wicket which took Bangladesh to a position of safety. However, both were dismissed in quick succession which again put them in the backfoot. It was a breezy innings from Mahmudullah towards the fag end of the innings.

Here is what Man of the Match Mahmudullah stated at the post-match presentation

“One of my best wins. Players were eager to do well today. My plan was to strike the ball as hard as I can. I was quite nervous. When I and Shakib were there, I was at ease but Shakib’s wicket put pressure on me. The confusion was that the ball would be the first bumper of the over.”