‘Believe it’: USA awakens as cricket-mad nation rocked in stunning boilover

The United States pulled off a shock five-wicket win over Bangladesh in a Twenty20 International in Houston on Tuesday giving the Americans a timely boost ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup.

The USA will host group stage games in the tournament which is being co-hosted with the West Indies, and the three-match series with Bangladesh is their main warm-up.

Bangladesh are ranked ninth in the world T20 rankings while the USA are placed 19th, below Nepal and Oman, but the Americans were more than a match for their more experienced opponents.

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Bangladesh were restricted to 153-6 with Towhid Hridoy top scoring with 58 from 47 balls and off-spinner Steven Taylor picking up two for nine from three overs.

But the USA reached the target with three balls to spare thanks to a brilliant 61-run partnership between Corey Anderson and Harmeet Singh that saw them over the line.

The USA were 94-5 with five overs remaining before the pair turned on the strokes, with former New Zealand international Anderson making 34 off 25 balls with two sixes while ex-Indian Under-19 player Singh hit three sixes and two fours as he struck 33 off just 13 deliveries.

After Anderson hit a six from the penultimate ball of the 19th over, the Americans needed nine off the last six balls.

Anderson smashed Mahmudullah over long-on for another six and then took a single before Singh struck the next ball over extra-cover for four to win the game.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Singh.

“I was backing myself and the main aspect of the game was to stay in the game till the last. It came down to our best efforts in the last over and I think that was our plan,” he said.

“Definitely Corey brings a lot of experience. He himself played a lot of big tournaments, big games. He knows how to finish games and how to stay calm under pressure, finish till the last ball…we all look up to him,” he said.

The second game of the series will also be in Houston on Thursday.