Najmul Hossain Shanto becomes fifth Bangladesh captain with this feat
A captain's knock from Najmul Hossain Shanto helped Bangladesh defeat Sri Lanka in the 2nd T20I in Sylhet. He smashed a match-winning half-century as the hosts successfully chased down 166. Earlier, a 68-run opening stand between Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar powered Bangladesh's chase. Notably, Shanto has become only the fifth Bangladesh captain to score a T20I fifty in winning cause.
Shanto gets Bangladesh home
A pivotal opening stand between Litton and Soumya laid the foundation for Bangladesh's win. However, Matheesha Pathirana sent back both openers in quick succession. Shanto didn't allow Sri Lanka to make further inroads and held his fort. He smashed a watchful 53* off 38 balls (4 fours and 2 sixes), completing his fifty with the winning hit. Towhid Hridoy (32*) assisted the Bangladesh captain.
Fourth T20I fifty for Shanto
Shanto went on to slam his fourth half-century in T20I cricket. In 30 T20Is, the left-handed batter has compiled 675 runs at an average of 28.12. As was the case in the 2nd T20I, Shanto plays the anchor's role in the format. Therefore, he has a strike rate of 113.06 in T20Is. As many as 323 of his T20I runs have come at home.
Shanto joins these names
As mentioned, Shanto has become only the fifth Bangladesh captain to score a T20I fifty in winning cause. Shakib Al Hasan (70*), Mohammad Ashraful (61), Mahmudullah (52), and Saif Hassan (50*) are the others with this record. This means Shanto now has the third-highest score by a Bangladesh captain in T20Is won.
