BAN Vs ENG, 1st T20I: Najmul Hossain Shanto's Fine Fifty Leads Bangladesh To A Clinical Win
Bangladesh recorded a historic win over England [Source: AP]
Riding on bowlers' stupendous effort and a magnificent half-century from Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh defeated England by six wickets in the first T20I in Chattogram on Thursday. The Tigers gained a crucial lead of 1-0 in the series after this emphatic victory.
Jos Buttler's fifty powers England to a fighting total
After being invited to bat first, England got off to a flier, courtesy of a spectacular 80-run opening stand between Jos Buttler and Phil Salt.
Before being dismissed by Nasum Ahmed, Salt smashed four boundaries and a solitary six for his steady 35-ball 38. Meanwhile, Dawid Malan continued his rough patch, managing only four runs before falling prey to Shakib Al Hasan.
Jos Buttler top scored for England [Source: AP]
However, Buttler continued his onslaught on Bangladesh bowlers. Getting ample support from Ben Duckett, the English captain hammered four fours and as many sixes on his way through to a belligerent 42-ball 67.
But to the visitors' misfortune, both these batters were dismissed in successive deliveries. After that, England lost the plot, adding only 21 runs in the last 23 balls.
Hasan Mahmud starred with the ball for Bangladesh, scalping two wickets for 26 runs in his four-over spell. Nasum, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib equally shared the remaining four wickets.
Shanto stands tall as Bangladesh ace the chase
Chasing 157, Bangladesh had a decent start, as Rony Talukdar and Litton Das stitched a 33-run opening stand before the former was castled by Adil Rashid in the fourth over. Soon, Litton followed his opening partner to the dugout, being undone by Jofra Archer in the fifth over.
Najmul Hossain Shanto in action [Source: AP]
However, BPL-fame Towhid Hridoy and experienced Najmul Hossain Shanto consolidated the hosts' innings, forming a match-winning partnership of 65 runs in only 39 deliveries.
While Shanto took the Englishmen to the cleaners for his glorious 30-ball 51, Hridoy played the role of a fiddle to perfection, contributing 24 runs.
After these two batters departed in quick succession, skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Afif Hossain held their nerves to score the remaining runs and script a historic win for Bangladesh.
Brief Scores
England: 156/6 (20)
Jos Buttler 67 (42), Phil Salt 38 (35);
Hasan Mahmud 2/26 (4), Shakib Al Hasan 1/26 (4)
Bangladesh: 158/4 (18)
Najmul Hossain Shanto 51 (30), Shakib Al Hasan 34* (24);
Mark Wood 1/24 (2), Adil Rashid 1/25 (3)
Bangladesh won by six wickets.
 "Debashis Sarangi")