Rain can’t hide Bangladesh’s middle-over struggles

Bangladesh finally had the chance to bat first in the series, and the start was nothing short of explosive. Within the first four overs, the Tigers raced to 60 for the loss of just Saif Hassan, who fell cheaply. Litton Das was in rampant touch, smashing his way to 42 off only 16 deliveries, though he had already survived one reprieve when a simple chance was put down on 37.

But then came the rain. A 45–minute interruption halted Bangladesh's momentum completely, and on resumption, the innings lost its earlier fluency. In the 11 deliveries that followed, the hosts mustered only seven runs, an alarming dip in tempo that exposed their old frailties of losing rhythm once play is disrupted. At the halfway mark they were 89 for 2, and by 15 overs they had crawled to 127 for 4 — a meagre 60 runs in the middle overs. For a side preparing for the Asia Cup in less than a week, this inability to rotate strike and keep the scoreboard moving should be a genuine concern.

Litton eventually reached his half-century from 27 balls, but tellingly, he slowed down almost immediately after the milestone. While he appeared set for what could have been a maiden T20I hundred, the aggression vanished from his batting. Having already survived another life on 68, his luck finally ran out when Max O'Dowd held on to a sharp catch at long–off from the bowling of Kyle Klein. What could have been a commanding innings instead petered out into yet another example of Litton starting brilliantly only to lose steam at the crucial phase.

The late order sought to inject some urgency, with Nurul Hasan Sohan and Jaker Ali striking three sixes in a single Kyle Klein over. Just as Bangladesh looked to be setting up for a strong finish, rain returned once again to halt their charge. At that point, they were 164 for 4 with only 10 balls left — a scoreline that promised a total in the region of 180–185 but, given their start, still left the impression of a missed opportunity. The rain did not let Bangladesh to come out to bat again, so they had to settle in with the score of 164. If the game does not start within 21.49, it will be declared abandoned. 

But the more important thing is, the innings summed up a recurring issue for Bangladesh in T20 cricket: bursts of brilliance undermined by stretches of mediocrity. The opening fireworks from Litton lit up the evening, but the lack of consistency in the middle overs — both in intent and execution — remains a glaring weakness.

And that is where the real question lies: are Bangladesh truly ready for the Asia Cup? A tournament of that magnitude demands not just fast starts or isolated moments of aggression, but a full, disciplined 20–over performance. If the Tigers cannot convert promising platforms into commanding totals against the Netherlands, how will they fare against Asia's heavyweights? Unless they find a way to sustain pressure, rotate strike intelligently, and capitalise on their starts, Bangladesh risk arriving at the Asia Cup with more questions than answers.