Fast bowler Ali Khan stated that the United States’ victory against Bangladesh in the Twenty20 International Series was “no fluke” and that his team was sure to cause havoc at the T20 World Cup as well.
“We [USA] are hungry, and are going to try to eat whoever comes in our way,” Khan stated. We have the opportunity to adapt and make some adjustments at this moment. The men are all hungry and the team is well-balanced. The USA will undoubtedly cause some upsets [in the T20 World Cup].
“We need to put USA out there on the world cricket map. Sometimes when you win against a big side, they say oh it is a fluke. But beating them twice, back-to-back, winning the series is not a fluke. We have the talent, skills and the ability if given the opportunities.”
Following an injury layoff to start the series, Khan was named Player of the Match for his 3 for 25 in the victory in the second Twenty20 international. After his new-ball spell, he was brought on to bowl in the eighteenth over, with the seasoned Shakib Al Hasan in the middle, and Bangladesh needing just 21 off the first eighteen balls to chase 145. In the same over, Khan had Tanzim Hasan stuck in front after Shakib chopped on the opening ball. After losing so many wickets in the 20th over, Khan helped the USA complete a historic victory by getting the final wicket as Bangladesh collapsed to 138.
Before he went back to bowl, Khan gave an explanation of how he got rid of Shakib, who was on 30 off 23 after hitting four fours and a six.
“The captain (Monank Patel) asked me to stay ready, and I stayed warmed up,” Khan recalled. “I was aware that, depending on the circumstances, I would be bowling the 18th and 20th over or the 17th and 19th. We made progress just before I entered the stage, which increased the pressure on Bangladesh. I simply stood by myself and did my finest work at the end.
They launched their bats and assisted me in getting the inside edge with Shakib since they were expecting me to bowl quickly as the wicket slowed. The idea was to force them to hit Shakib’s off side—the wind—in an attempt to deflect the opening ball away from him. He made an effort to drag it out and gave me the wicket.”
He noted that winning a series against a team with all of its members provided a confidence boost for both the group and the individual players.
It’s enormous. Individual performances are also important in a series such as this one. Together, let’s just demonstrate to the world what we are capable of when given the chance. You will remain at this associate level or below if we continue to play there. However, there are undoubtedly ways to pull off an upset if you have more chances to play against top ten teams or stronger opponents. More chances to compete against entire teams would enable us to display our talent.”
After going 1 for 49 in the opening game, Khan claimed he needed some time to adjust to the changing circumstances and rediscover his rhythm.
“I was recovering from a serious injury, and it takes time to regain rhythm in the middle. I just needed to go outside and get acclimated to the surroundings. I don’t normally go for so many runs, so it didn’t go as planned. But I have no excuse—it was my first game back. I made an effort to apply the lessons I took away from that game to this one.
“There’s not much time left before the World Cup. I continue to believe that much work has to be done to improve.”