Bangladesh’s batters struggled for fluency on a spin-friendly surface in Mirpur, with Soumya Sarkar and Mehidy Hasan Miraz unable to accelerate despite getting set. Then came Rishad Hossain, who lit up the closing overs with a blistering display of power hitting.
Batting at number nine, Rishad smashed an unbeaten 39 from just 14 deliveries, including three fours and three sixes. His strike rate of 278, the highest ever by a Bangladeshi batter in one-day internationals, eclipsed long-standing marks set by Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza.
The previous record stood at 275, jointly held by Mashrafe, who hit 44 off 16 balls against Kenya in 2006, and Shakib, who scored 44 off 16 against Pakistan during the 2014 Asia Cup.
