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Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan Papon glorified Jaker Ali's exceptional display of courage and talent in the first T20I against Sri Lanka.

Jaker, who made his official debut, struck his maiden fifty playing a 34-ball 68 with six 6’s and four 4’s while chasing a steep target of 207 runs. Though, Bangladesh lost the match by just 3 runs but Jaker’s effort was commendable.

Papon stated that it's too early to judge a cricketer, however, he praised the wicket-keeper batter for his strong showing in a challenging situation when Bangladesh were struggling on 68-4.

“It's not just about Jaker Ali, every newcomer must provide such performances. Whenever given the chance, they must deliver. It's unfair to judge a player based on a single game; he has true talent and potential to be a part of the national team. We have a strong pipeline. But his courage must be praised, I have never seen someone perform like this in a tight situation before,” said Papon.

BCB boss believes if the Tiger openers can give a good start as they did in the second match they will definitely win the match and clinch the first ever T20I series against Sri Lanka.

"If we can replicate our performance from the last match, especially from the openers, we are confident in securing victory in the third match as well,” he added.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will face each other in the series decider on March 9 at the Sylhet International Cricket stadium.