Mushfiqur Rahim could not control his emotions after hitting the winning runs against Sri Lanka. He the fourth ball of the final over towards midwicket and ran a single, limping. But that did not matter. He let out a loud scream and roared before doing a snake-style dance popularly known as the nagin dance. That was the moment of the match from the Bangladesh player after he had played stunning knock to help his team chase down 215, a record chase for them.
Bangladesh had lost the first game to India and needed a win in this game. A target of 215 in a T20 game is always stiff and Bangladesh were under pressure to get their first win of the tournament. And Mushfiqur played a knock of his life, unbeaten 72 off 35 balls, to lead Bangladesh to that win and then dance which was a delight for everyone at the stadium.
Sri Lanka were asked to bat first after Mahmudullah won the toss but that decision proved costly for Bangladesh as home openers Kusal Mendis and Dhanushka Gunathilaka took them to past 50 quickly. Kusal Perera and Mendis scored half-centuries as Sri Lanka posted 214 for the loss of five wickets.
Bangladesh openers Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das were destructive in the powerplay and Bangladesh reached 103/2 after 10 overs. Mushfiqur lost some partners at the other end but carried on at his own pace and put Bangladesh in control. In the penultimate over, Bangladesh needed 16 off 8 balls when he hit one rows back into the stands and his six turned the game into Bangladesh’s favour.
It was fitting that he hit the winning runs or otherwise there was a chance of missing another unique celebration on the field.
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