Tigers end 16-year wait with SL triumph

Bangladesh's two-wicket win over Sri Lanka ended a lengthy wait for the Tigers in the ICC T20 World Cups as for the first time since the inaugural edition back in 2007 they have defeated a higher ranked side in the competition.

On September 13, 2007, Bangladesh defeated the West Indies by six wickets in Johannesburg, which was also their very first match in the competition's history.

Since then, they had played 37 more matches up until the match against Sri Lanka, where they won eight games, but all of them were against lower ranked sides, mostly associate teams.

On Saturday, 16 years, eight months and 27 days later after that win over the Caribbeans, Bangladesh have finally registered a win over a higher-ranked team, that too a former champions, in the mega event.

Although Sri Lanka are not far above the Tigers in the rankings, with Bangladesh in ninth position and the Lankans right above them at eighth, the win nonetheless was monumental as it was also the Tiger's first win over the Asian rivals in T20 World Cups.

With a win in their campaign opener of the ninth edition, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side has boosted their chances of finishing as one of the top two teams in Group D and move onto the Super 8s.

The Tigers will next face the table-toppers South Africa in New York on June 10.