Bangladesh suffered a heavy 39-run defeat against Ireland in the opening T20I at Chattogram’s Bir Sreshtho Shaheed Matiur Rahman Stadium, but Towhid Hridoy’s remarkable unbeaten 83 stood out amid the chaos. Chasing 182, the hosts never looked in contention, collapsing to 142 all out despite Hridoy’s career-best innings.
Hridoy’s knock, scored off 50 balls with seven fours and three sixes, came when eight wickets had fallen for just 74. He partnered with the tailenders to push the total past 140, almost single-handedly salvaging some respectability for the innings. While the result was disappointing, Hridoy remained composed, aware that criticism was inevitable.
“I don’t find it difficult,” he said when asked about facing the media after the loss. “Cricket isn’t just about me. I bat higher in the BPL and play in the middle order for the national team. Many might think I don’t deserve to be in the team, but I am comfortable where I am.”
Hridoy has endured harsh scrutiny following a run of failures up to the group stage of the Asia Cup, though he scored in the Super Eight against Sri Lanka and later found form against Ireland. Despite individual runs, Bangladesh struggled collectively, and he sees criticism as part of the game.
“You can criticise as much as you like, it’s your right,” he added. “Even from criticism, something positive can emerge. A few words can change a lot for us. I request that critiques are made with reasonwe can learn and improve from them.”
The middle order, including Hridoy, has struggled this year, recording the lowest strike rate (116.07) among Test-playing nations. Hridoy remains confident about improvement across the team: “Not just the middle order, from top to bottom there’s room for improvement. When we improve, Insha Allah, we will do well.”
Bangladesh will look to bounce back in the second T20I on 29 November in Chattogram, hoping to build on Hridoy’s positive display.
