‘We wanted it a bit more than what they did’ – Stuart Law opens up on USA’s historic series win over Bangladesh

The USA men’s cricket team achieved a remarkable feat by winning their first-ever bilateral T20I series against a full-member nation, Bangladesh, with a 2-1 margin.

In a brilliant series in Texas, the hosts showed their hunger and passion, outperforming the experienced opponents in the opening two matches before suffering a 10-wicket defeat in the third and final T20I. USA’s head coach, Stuart Law, credited the series victory to his team’s desire and determination.

Law, who previously served as Bangladesh’s head coach, acknowledged his team’s hunger and passion as the driving force behind their series triumph ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at home.

“We had more desire and passion for the game in the first two matches. We wanted it a bit more than what they did. Today it was a different story. We may have relaxed a little bit. Bangladesh played pretty well. They will take this in their stride. It is great preparation. Playing games is so much better than hitting balls in the nets. Anything can happen in one-off games. That’s what the World Cup is like. No one goes in as ultimate favorites,” Law said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Despite the final defeat, Law remained optimistic about Bangladesh’s prospects in the upcoming T20 World Cup, praising their ability to bounce back from setbacks.

“Bangladesh are a good team, you (media) guys put them under a lot of pressure. That’s one thing I do know. They have some of the best strikers of the cricket ball. The two batters made runs [today] with beautiful cricket shots. A couple of bowlers have good, decent pace. The spinners will always be strong from Bangladesh. They have got a good team,” he added.

Also read: Bangladesh confident of fast bowler’s recovery in time for T20 World Cup

Wouldn’t call it an upset if we beat Pakistan or India: Aaron Jones

The USA team’s decision to rest their key players, including captain Monank Patel, opener Steven Taylor, allrounder Harmeet Singh, and fast bowler Ali Khan, in the third T20I proved costly.

The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side used this opportunity, with Mustafizur Rahman claiming a six-wicket haul to restrict the hosts to a total of 104 for nine. Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar then formed an unbroken 108-run partnership, guiding their side to a comfortable ten-wicket victory.

The USA team made a promising start in the last game, reaching 46 runs without losing any wickets within the first five overs. However, their innings lost momentum after the openers were dismissed. Consequently, they were restricted to a below-par total, according to stand-in skipper Aaron Jones.

“We didn’t read the situation well in the middle overs. Shot selection was a big thing for us today. We could have played the sweep shot at times. As soon as the Bangladesh bowlers got on top of us, we just rolled over,” Jones added.

Also read: Bangladesh smash USA in third T20I to regain lost prestige