Bangladesh v England: 3rd T20, Mirpur
Bangladesh 158-2 (20 overs): Litton 73 (57), Shanto 47* (36)
England 142-6 (20 overs): Malan 53 (47), Buttler 40 (31)
Bangladesh won by 16 runs
Bangladesh grab another historic win as they edged England by 16 runs in the third and final T20 game to sweep the series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (Mar 14).
Opener Litton Das hit his career-best 73 while Najmul Hossain Shanto continued his form with 47 not out to lift Bangladesh to 158-2 on slow Mirpur pitch.
With the Tigers scoring just 27 runs in the last five overs, it looked they were short of 20/25 runs. However, the team showed their capability of making up the mistakes somehow, which skipper Shakib Al Hasan wanted from the new look side.
The hunger for victory was evidenced in their body language as they put up an electrifying fielding performance that proved to be eventual difference between the two sides.
When England dropped two catches and showed anomaly in fielding, Bangladesh were absolutely up to the mark.
England lost the first two games and was on the brink of humiliating whitewash. However, they were on course of a consolation win as opener Dawid Malan and skipper Jos Buttler scoring fluently. But Bangladesh grabbed the two wickets in consecutive deliveries and eventually restrict England to 142-6.
Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam, who made his debut, got success in his just third ball, removing opener Phil Salt for a duck to give Bangladesh a good start in defending the total.
Malan who struck 47 ball-53 with six fours and two sixes put on 95-run with Buttler for the second wicket to make England favourite to win the game. Pacer Mustrafizur Rahman made a break-through when Malan returned for the bowler's 100th wicket.
The match defining moment came after that as Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran Buttler out with a direct hit from the point. Buttler made 40 off 31 with four fours and one six. His dismissal paved the way for Tigres' win.
Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed, who had figures of 2-26, ripped through middle order, claiming the wicket of Ben Duckett (11) and Mooen Ali (9).
A fine display of death bowling then ensured Bangladesh's victory, what turned out to be a historic feat ultimately.
After being sent to bat first, Litton and Rony combined for 55 runs for their opening stand before Rony gave a return catch to leg-spinner Adil Rashid, in his attempt to play reverse sweep.
Shanto and Litton kept the English bowlers at bay, playing with caution and aggression that served them well. Litton, however, reached his ninth fifty in T20 format off 41 balls with a single off leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed. He tried to up the ante and unfurled some powerful sweep shots around the wicket to make the England spinners, who bowled with tight length, disarray. Shanto, on the other hand, hardly missed any opportunity of treating any loose deliveries in disdain.
As Bangladesh looked destined to go close anywhere near to 200-run mark, Chris Jordan took the wicket of Litton. He hit 10 fours and one six in his 57-ball innings.
Litton's dismissal proved to be costly as for a new batter, it was tough to get going in this wicket. However, Shanto who was well set in the crease, failed to rotate the scoreboard as Bangladesh finished with a below par target. But at the end it cost nothing.
Earlier, Bangladesh had won the first T20 by six wickets in Chattogram and the second one by four wickets in Dhaka.
It is only the third time that England have been blanked in a bilateral T20 series featuring at least two matches.
"We were really good in this series. I thought we fielded exceptionally," said Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan.
"That has been one of the major changes. If we look at the World Cup next year, we can build from here."
Bangladesh had denied England a clean sweep in the preceding three-match one-day international series by winning the final game, and they produced some commanding displays against the world champions in the shortest format.
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Tanvir Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud.
England (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Dawid Malan, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer.
