Blazing start fizzles into familiar pattern

Banglapress Published: 23 September 2025, 10:26 AM

Blazing start fizzles into familiar pattern

Bangla Press Desk: Bangladesh’s innings against the Netherlands on Wednesday promised fireworks right from the start — and for a brief, glorious moment, it delivered. Skipper Litton Das came out swinging, punishing anything within reach and racing to 42 off just 16 balls. The powerplay looked like it might end with Bangladesh chasing 200 like it was a warm-up game. This match was the first time Bangladesh got to bat first in the series, having surprisingly opted to field in the first two games despite winning the toss. With the Asia Cup only a week away, this series was meant to be a dress rehearsal — a chance to experiment, finding rhythm, and test combinations. The start was electric but not without drama.

Saif Hassan was dropped in the very first over by Shariz Ahmed, and Litton went on the attack, smashing 22 runs in the third over against Doram. Kyle Klein struck early, cleaning up Saif’s stumps with a straight ball. Litton was in berserk mode in the powerplay, timing and placing the ball beautifully, but Shariz was having a nightmare, dropping him again in the fourth over. Litton actually had two lives during his 73-run innings — once on 37 and again on 68 — moments that could have been turned into a truly commanding total. After the explosive 42 from 16 balls, he scored only 31 in the next 30 balls, slowing dramatically. The first rain break stalled Bangladesh’s momentum. The pitch, now with extra moisture, offered more purchase and guile for the spinners. Tawhid Hridoy, struggling to rotate the strike and find boundaries, lost his wicket (9 off 14 balls), and the scoreboard slowed.

Litton was dropped again by Pringle before his could-be-brilliant 73 off 46 balls finally ended in the 15th over, when Klein dismissed both Litton and Shamim Hossain. The Tigers’ innings then followed a familiar arc. They posted 60/1 in just 4.1 overs before the rain, with Dutch bowlers struggling to find answers. By 10 overs, Bangladesh had reached roughly 90, still looking on track for a big total. Then came the middle overs — the proverbial “pause button” on Bangladesh T20s. Between overs 10.1 and 16.0, only 42 runs were added while three more wickets fell, slowing the scoring rate to 8.25 per over. Even Litton, normally unflappable, seemed to pace himself like a marathon runner rather than a sprinter.

After his explosive start, he seemed visibly exhausted just a few deliveries before being caught at mid-off. He had the opportunity to turn a blazing start into a truly authoritative innings, stamping his mark on the game. Nevertheless, he reached his 14th T20I fifty, surpassing Shakib Al Hasan’s 13 fifties to become the batter with the most T20I fifties for Bangladesh. Modern T20 cricket demands acceleration in the last 10 overs — a phase when teams typically blast totals sky-high. Bangladesh, however, seems to have a built-in “braking system.” Even after blazing powerplays, they tend to finish around 160–170, respectable but rarely matching the promise of the start. The death overs offered a glimpse of what might have been. In the over just before rain halted play again, Nurul Hasan Sohan — returning to the T20I side after almost three years — smashed two consecutive sixes, and Jaker Ali cleared the ropes off Kyle Klein. That final flourish felt like an apology for the slower middle phase. But alas, rain intervened once more, cutting short what could have been a far more satisfying finish. This article was originally published on Daily Sun.

[Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.]

Blazing start fizzles into familiar pattern

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