MATCH STORIES
Follow UsTowhid Hridoy is just 23, but the young right-hander has already established himself as a key cog in Bangladesh’s batting line-up — not just in T20Is but ODIs as well.
Since the start of 2023, only Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Shanto have scored more runs for Bangladesh in ODI cricket than Hridoy. The 23-year-old, meanwhile, is the highest run-getter for the Tigers in this period in the shortest format.
However, despite proving to be one of the most consistent run-getters in white ball cricket, Hridoy had not gone mainstream owing to most of his stellar performances coming in low-stakes contests largely against lower-ranked sides.
Meanwhile, when all the eye-balls were on him at the 2023 World Cup in India, Hridoy was unable to shine, posting a solitary 50-plus score, that too in a dead rubber.
But rest assured the 23-year-old will be one of the most closely-followed players for the remainder of this T20 World Cup after what he managed to do in the clash against Sri Lanka in Dallas on June 7 (Friday).
On the night, Hridoy tonked Wanindu Hasaranga, the second-ranked T20I bowler in the world, for not one, not two, not three, but FOUR SIXES! And he smashed those four sixes in consecutive balls, albeit across two overs.
Defending 125, Hasaranga was always going to be key for the Lankans. Particularly on a surface on which Bangladesh’s sole leggie had returned figures of 3/22 and had found copious amounts of turn.
Come the second innings, the Tigers could easily have chosen to play out Hasaranga and tread carefully, but Hridoy took the challenge head-on and aced it spectacularly.
After 8.5 overs, Bangladesh were 52/3, needing 73 more off the remaining 67 balls to win the contest. This was when Hridoy launched his first six against Hasaranga, slog-sweeping the leggie handsomely over mid-wicket.
Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana bowled the next two, but Hasaranga brought himself back for the 12th over, backing himself to break the nagging stand between Hridoy and Litton Das, which was already 45 at this point.
As it turned out, Hasaranga did just that, but let’s say he did not, by any means, emerge from this battle as the victor.
For, after getting hammered for a six on the final ball of the ninth over, Hasaranga got hit for a hat-trick of sixes by Hridoy in the first three balls of the 12th over.
The first two sixes were carbon copies of the six over mid-wicket in the ninth over. Hasaranga tossed it up and Hridoy, having read the delivery clearly, got on his knees and thumped it sumptuously over the boundary rope, powerfully but at the same time also effortlessly.
Trying to outsmart the batter, Hasaranga threw the third ball of the over wide outside off, but Hridoy was up for the challenge. This time, the right-hander opted to go over cover. He gave himself room and punched it audaciously to the left of the fielder at long-off, leaving Sri Lanka and Hasaranga stunned.
By this point, Hridoy had his eyes on the prize: six sixes in six balls. He thus attempted the slog sweep on the fourth ball of the over too, but he got outdone on this occasion by the dip. Hridoy got rapped on the pads and was given not out on-field, but Hasaranga reviewed it and got the decision successfully overturned.
Hridoy departed 10 short of a fifty, but he’d done his job by effectively killing the contest. The required run rate, which was over 6.50 RPO at the start of the 8th over, had come down to 4.12.
In the end, Hridoy’s cameo proved to be the difference between the two sides. Despite the right-hander’s onslaught, Bangladesh barely got over the line as they took the game to the penultimate over. Hridoy’s assault forced Hasaranga to use his trump cards Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara well in advance. That meant that Bangladesh got to face Dasun Shanaka in the penultimate over.
They only had two wickets in hand when the 19th over began, but Mahmudullah took advantage of Shanaka’s rust and got the Tigers home.
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