Dubai: Towhid Hridoy struck his maiden century as Bangladesh recovered from a shaky start to post a challenging 228 before being all out in 49.4 overs in their Champions Trophy opening game against India at Dubai International Cricket Stadium today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Jaker Ali Anik made 68 and added a 154-run partnership with Hridoy after Bangladesh were reduced to a precarious 35-5, following a bowling burst from Mohammed Shami and Axar Patel. Shami returned figures of 5-53, breaking through with the wicket of Soumya Sarkar, who was dismissed for a five-ball duck after Bangladesh chose to bat first on a two-paced pitch.
Shami also took the wicket of Mehidy Hasan Miraz (5) before his new ball partner Harshit Rana removed captain Najmul Hossain Shanto for a two-ball duck. Axar Patel then struck twice, removing Tanzid Tamim and Mushfiqur Rahim in consecutive deliveries. Tanzid was the only top-order batter to reach double digits, making a run-a-ball 25. Mushfiqur was out for a first-ball duck, making him the third batter in the top five to be out for naught.
Axar had a chance to take Jaker Ali Anik to complete his hat-trick, but Rohit Sharma dropped the catch in the first slip, a costly miss for India. Jaker capitalized on the missed opportunity, playing with precision alongside Hridoy to help Bangladesh claw back into the game. Their 154-run partnership guided Bangladesh past 200, reaching a final total of 228, which could be a challenging target given the two-paced nature of the pitch.
Shami returned for his second spell to break the partnership by claiming the wicket of Jaker, who sent the ball across the ropes four times in his 114-ball knock. He then stifled Bangladesh, completing his sixth five-for by removing Taskin in the penultimate over of the innings.
Hridoy, who also got a reprieve early in his innings when Hardik Pandya missed a chance at mid-off off the bowling of Kuldeep Yadav, completed his maiden century off 114 balls by taking a single off Shami. He was eventually out for exactly 100 by Rana, but by then, Bangladesh had reached a position that looked safe.