"Don't take us for granted" - Twitter erupts after Bangladesh thrash Australia in 1st T20I
The Bangladesh Cricket Team thrashed Australia by 23 runs in the first T20I at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on August 3 (Tuesday). The Tigers are now 1-0 up in the five-match series.
Batting first, the hosts posted 131 runs with contributions from Shakib Al Hasan (36), Mahmudullah (20) and Afif Hossain (23). Defending a small total, Nasum Ahmed returned with figures of 4/19 to bowl Australia out for 108 runs, thus scripting a historic win.
Fans were quite evidently ecstatic and expressed their emotions on social media after the victory. Bangladesh wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, who is not a part of the squad for this series, and former captain Mashrafe Mortaza also took to Twitter to congratulate the home side.
Here are some reactions:
Nasum Ahmed picked 4/19 to guide Bangladesh to victory
Asked to bat first, Bangladesh banked on Mohammad Naim to get off to a steady start on a sluggish wicket. However, they struggled and limped to a meager 37/2 in seven overs.
Shakib Al Hasan and skipper Mahmudullah then added a crucial partnership before Afif Hossain provided some late impetus. He scored 23 off 17 balls to propel Bangladesh to 131/7, which proved to be too much for the Aussies in the end.
Chasing a moderate total, Australia got off to a poor start and were left reeling at 11/3 after 2.1 overs. All-rounder Mitchell Marsh held tight at one end but kept losing partners at the other. He scored 45 off 45 deliveries, which was ultimately not enough for the visitors to get over the line.
Nasum Ahmed, who is still in the early stages of his international career, picked up four wickets while Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam returned with two apiece as Australia fell short by 23 runs.
Speaking at the end of the match, Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah credited the bowlers for putting up a brilliant show:
"We had a team talk during the halfway stage and said that we were 10 runs short, so we have to field well and put more effort. That's what you need while defending low totals and have attacking mindset. They are a very good side and we need to tick the boxes we failed today in the coming games. The hunger needs to be there to win every game for Bangladesh. I am not over the top at the moment, it was a match, we won and it is gone now, looking forward to tomorrow's game."
The second match of the five-match series is on August 4 (Wednesday) in Dhaka.