Liton’s fastest fifty lifts Bangladesh to 202-3
Sports Desk: Dhaka, Mar-29,
Opener Liton Das smashed a swashbuckling 41 ball-83 as Bangladesh compiled 202-3 in the second T20 International against Ireland, which was reduced to a 17-over game after rain halted the game twice at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium today.
They scored runs at 11.88 per over, comfortably their best in their history and a full over game could potentially help them go past their highest total of 215 in this format.
Liton brought up his fifty off just 18 deliveries, which was fastest by a Bangladeshi batter, eclipsing Mohammad Ashraful’s 20 ball-fifty against West Indies in 2007 T20 World Cup. He clobbered 10 fours and three sixes overall.
Fellow opener Rony Talukdar, fresh from his 38 ball-67, smoked 44 off 23 with three fours and two sixes. Skipper Shakib Al Hasn was unbeaten on 38 off 24 after striking three fours and two sixes.
Put into bat first again, Liton and Rony Talukdar gave Bangladesh a whirlwind start, sending the Irish bowlers at the receiving end.
Treating them with utmost disdain, they racked up 73 runs in the first powerplay, which was for the first five overs, instead of the six, since the match was reduced for three overs. Earlier in the first match, Bangladesh put up a record 81 runs in the first six overs.
They might not break the powerplay record but brought up 100 runs off just 43 legal deliveries to set another record, putting a shed on the previous fastest 100 that also came against the same opponent in the last match off 53 balls.
After a comparatively quiet first over that fetched 8 runs, Liton kick-started the party with two fours off Mark Adair and then went on to berserk in a way that was beyond imagination.
He went after on every Irish bowlers ruthlessly to quickly reach his 49 off 17 deliveries and then took a single off leg-spinner Ben White past backward square leg to complete his 10th fifty off 18 balls.
Rony Talukdar who watched Liton turning his bat into sword to cut through the Irish bowlers mercilessly then broke the shackle and struck leg-spinner Gareth Delany two sixes to make the matter worse for Irish bowlers further.
As things looked completely out of control for the visitors, Rony missed one against Ben White to be caught at long-on and it brought an end to the 124-run partnership for the opening stand.
Liton looked like a batter to complete his ton as he continued his merciless attack. But White, who took 2-28 denied him what could have been his maiden century when he nicked one that spun away.
After Liton’s dismissal, skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy further came down heavily on the Irish bowlers to keep the runs flowing.
They added 61 off just 30 balls before Hridoy was dismissed in the penultimate delivery by Mark Adair (1-52) after contributing 24 off 13. But Bangladesh finished the things quite emphatically, raising the prospect to wrapping the series with a match to go.
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