T20 WC: Mustafizur, Rishad rattle SL with three-fers
Bangladesh recorded a narrow two-wicket triumph over Sri Lanka in Match 15 of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Mustafizur Rahman and Rishad Hossain claimed three wickets apiece as the Lankans were restricted to 124/9 at Dallas's Grand Prairie Stadium. Bangladesh chased down the total with an over to spare. Here we decode Mustafizur and Rishad's stats.
Stellar spells from the duo
SL were going strong at 48/1 when Mustafizur dismissed Kamindu Mendis for 4. A few overs later, he sent back the dangerous-looking Pathum Nissanka for 47. Maheesh Theekshana (0) was his final victim. Meanwhile, Rishad trapped Charith Asalanka (19) and Wanindu Hasaranga (0) off successive deliveries in the 15th over. Dhananjaya de Silva (21) fell to him in the 16th over.
A look at Mustafizur's stats
Mustafizur, who finished with 3/17 in his four overs, has raced to 123 wickets across 97 T20I games (ER: 7.51). 17 of his wickets have come in 13 T20Is against SL (ER: 8.83). He has tallied 23 wickets across 16 T20 WC games (ER: 7.28). The left-arm pacer now has 26 T20I wickets across neutral venues.
Career-best figures for Rishad
Young leg-spinner Rishad claimed his best T20I figures, 3/22 in four overs. As far as his stats are concerned, he has tallied 18 wickets across as many T20Is while conceding runs at 7.05. He also owns a half-century in the format. Against SL, the 21-year-old has completed six wickets in four matches. Notably, this match marked his T20 WC debut.
How did the game pan out?
Though SL posted a paltry 124/9, Bangladesh had a hard time in the chase. Both openers Tanzid Hasan (3) and Soumya Sarkar (0) departed cheaply. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was also dismissed for 7. Litton Das (36) and Towhid Hridoy (40) then recorded a match-defining 63-run stand. Though the fall of five quick wickets delayed Bangladesh's win, Mahmudullah (16*) eventually saw them through.
