'Either they took us lightly or I don't know': USA hero Harmeet after historic win over Bangladesh
"They were thinking probably they will get us out. So I was like, if we hang in there and give ourselves 20 runs in the last over, we have a chance to win here. Me and Corey said we just need 20 in the last over, and then we finished up having under 10,” he concluded.
The USA's Harmeet Singh thinks Bangladesh probably took them lightly in the first T20I at the Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston on Wednesday. The USA sealed a historic five-wicket win over Bangladesh thanks to Harmeet's audacious 33 not out off 13 balls along with Corey Anderson's 34 runs off 24 balls.
After the victory, Harmeet said they calculated Mustafiz would bowl against the wind, but the left-arm was asked to do the opposite by Bangladesh's skipper, giving USA a massive chance.
"As per our calculations, we were thinking Fizz would bowl the against the wind overs," Harmeet said after the win.
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"But when I saw Fizz coming from the other end bowling with the wind, I was like, 'Here we have a chance where we can sneak in a 20-run over from the other side and see what we can get from Fizz. So either they took us lightly or what, I don't know. But getting Mustafizur from this end, I would back myself anyway but on the other side they don't have overs to bowl with because they only have Shoriful one over and then someone had to bowl that last over," Harmeet added.
"They were thinking probably they will get us out. So I was like, if we hang in there and give ourselves 20 runs in the last over, we have a chance to win here. Me and Corey said we just need 20 in the last over, and then we finished up having under 10," he concluded.
The USA needed 61 runs off 31 balls to chase a target of 154 when Harmeet arrived at the crease, with one ball remaining in the 15th over after Nitish Kumar's dismissal. Harmeet faced a dot ball from Shoriful Islam to end the over.
In his final 12 deliveries, Harmeet faced just one more dot ball, dominating Bangladesh's top fast bowlers, Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful.
He hit Mustafizur for a six over his head and another over wide long-on in a 17-run 17th over, then hit Shoriful for a six over long-on and a four behind point in a 14-run 18th over, reducing the target to a very manageable 24 runs off 12 balls.
Corey Anderson took charge against Mustafizur in the 19th over. Mustafizur struggled with his line, conceding two wides, while the USA scored at a rate of two runs per ball.
With 16 needed off the final eight balls, Anderson smashed a full-length delivery for six, tipping the scales in favour of the USA. A single off the last ball kept Anderson on strike for the 20th over.
Facing Mahmudullah Riyad's off-spin, Anderson hit another full delivery for six, leaving just three runs needed off the final five balls. Anderson took a single, bringing Harmeet back on strike, who then lofted the next ball over extra cover for a boundary, securing a famous win for the USA keeping three deliveries in hand.
