Bangladesh sets Sri Lanka a target of 140 after a record sixth-wicket partnership
Both Bangladeshi openers were thus dismissed without scoring, an unprecedented event in T20 cricket for the team.
On the 14th delivery of the innings, Liton Das flicked for a single, finally bringing some relief to Bangladesh in the commentary box. The previous 13 balls had been nothing short of a nightmare, the memory of which lingered throughout the innings. Thanks to a steady partnership between Zaker Ali and Shamim Patowary, Bangladesh set Sri Lanka a target of 140 runs.
At the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka won the toss in the Asia Cup clash and sent Bangladesh in to bat. Litton Das welcomed the challenge, but the openers struggled. Nuwan Thushara proved to be a constant threat for Bangladesh. On the last ball of the first over, his inswinging delivery uprooted Tamim Iqbal's stumps. Following his lead, Dushmantha Chameera bowled a maiden over and dismissed Parvez Hossain Emon.
Both Bangladeshi openers were thus dismissed without scoring, an unprecedented event in T20 cricket for the team. Not only that, failing to score in the first two overs was also a first for Bangladesh. Internationally, such a start has occurred only seven times in T20s. In a full-member ICC match, it was the second time in 15 years, the previous instance being against West Indies in Trinidad in 2010, where Zimbabwe failed to score in the first two overs.
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Earlier, after a controversial 35-run innings against Hong Kong, Towhid Hridoy also struggled to find form, scoring just 8 runs off 9 balls before being run out.
In the sixth over, Litton Das increased the scoring rate by hitting three boundaries off Dasun Shanaka. Bangladesh finished the powerplay at 30 for 3 in 6 overs. Litton, who had not been dismissed for under 50 in his last five innings, showed glimpses of the captain's return to form. However, attempting a sweep off Wanindu Hasaranga, he was caught after 26 balls for 28 runs, and Bangladesh lost their fifth wicket at 53. Earlier, Shak Mahedi (9) had fallen to an LBW off Hasaranga.
It became clear early on that Bangladesh's total would not be large. Jaker Ali and Shamim Patowary settled in and built a fighting partnership. In the 19th over, they scored 19 runs off Mahesh Pathirana. Their unbroken sixth-wicket partnership yielded 86 runs off 61 balls. Jaker remained unbeaten on 41 off 34 balls with 2 boundaries, while Shamim Patowary was not out on 42 off 34 balls, including 3 fours and 1 six.
This was the highest sixth-wicket partnership in Asia Cup history, and it also set a record for Bangladesh. Three years ago, in 2022 against the UAE in Dubai, Afif Hossain and Nurul Hasan Sohan had built an unbroken 81-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
