In the T20 series against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh couldn’t secure a victory despite coming close in the first T20 match in Sylhet. However, Jakir Ali’s debut in Bangladesh cricket achieved a new milestone even in the face of defeat. Despite the loss, he remains unbroken.
Cricketer Al Islam has joined the T20 team at Sylhet, making an impressive debut in the first match. Jakir contributed 68 runs with the bat in the first match, where Bangladesh fell short by 3 runs against Sri Lanka. After the match, during a press conference, he stated, “BPL has always been a medium for me. It’s my home ground, and through playing in the league, I have had many positive experiences.”
Jakir mentioned, “I prefer playing on Sylhet’s ground all the time. I have been playing here since starting my top-tier cricket career. The wicket was good, and everything was fine. It would have been better if we could win here. The next match will show how we can win. We have a lot of opportunities in this match.”
In the current match, after Sri Lanka set a target of 206 runs with the loss of 3 wickets, Bangladesh fought until the end and managed to collect 203 runs with 8 wickets. Bangladesh holds the record for the highest successful run chase against Sri Lanka, securing a victory with 215 runs in the 2018 Nidahas Trophy in Colombo. Despite this loss, Jakir remains optimistic, stating, “I can’t sleep at night after a defeat. If we had won for the country, it would have been great. We’ll see how it goes in the next match.”
In this match, Jakir’s team couldn’t secure a victory, but it was a valuable experience for him. Earlier, Jakir faced defeat in the BPL final with Cumilla Victorians. After that loss, he expressed, “My face reflects the pain of defeat. Losing in the BPL final hurts. I can’t sleep at night. If we had won for the country, it would have been great. We’ll see how it goes in the next match.”
In this match, Bangladesh fought till the end, collecting 203 runs with 8 wickets. The team has a record of successfully chasing a target of 200 or more against Sri Lanka. In the 2018 Nidahas Trophy in Colombo, Bangladesh chased down 214 runs with 5 wickets. Mahmudullah and Jakir had raised hopes in the last match, and this time, Nazmul’s all-around performance kept the Tigers in the fight till the end. Mahmudullah scored 54 runs in his innings, while Jakir played a ‘rockstar’ innings, scoring 68 runs off 34 balls at a strike rate of 200. The other batsmen need to step up if the Tigers want to celebrate victory in the next matches with their aggressive approach.