Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto finally heaved a sigh of relief as he hit back to form when it mattered most.
As Bangladesh were in a mission to stay alive in the three-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka after losing the first game by three wickets, Shanto played the crucial role by hitting a 38 ball-53 not out, which led the side to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory.
Shanto's form was a concern ahead of the series as he came off a lean patch. After a blockbuster 2023 in which he broke almost all batting record by a Bangladeshi batter, he ended this year's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) with 175 runs which came at an average of just 14.58 and a meager strike rate of 93.58.
His highest was 39, a painfully struggling innings that came at the last match of Sylhet. His performance was so disappointing that he even failed to hit a six in the tournament.
In the first match of the series, he made 20 off 22, which was a poor show. That made the concern regarding him bigger further. But he vowed to comeback strongly and he kept his words. However he credited his teammates for the victory that made the third and final T20 match a decider one.
"I think it shows a lot of character [the way we came back] and how we bowled in these conditions. Really happy with the way we bowled. I'm not giving any bowler's particular credit, they all bowled really well.
Shoriful bowled well during the BPL as well, so he's found his form and I'm happy for him," Shanto told the broadcasters after the match.
"I think Liton and Soumya started very well, and later on Hridoy batted really well. What I felt was it was a proper team game. Obviously as batsman you want to score every match. Hopefully I'll continue my form."
Sri Lanka stand-in captain Charith Asalanka believes they were 20/25 runs short, which caused the defeat.
"Firstly we were short about 20-25 runs, and then Kamindu's run out also played a huge part in the game. As a batter we have to make big runs, especially in these conditions. Because it's very hard for the bowlers to bowl in these conditions," he said.
"Credit goes to their batters, especially Shanto, and Hridoy and Litton. They batted well."
