After more than two and a half years, Bangladesh finally celebrated a century opening stand in One-Day Internationals.
In the first two matches of the series, neither side had come close to a hundred-run partnership. Batters struggled throughout — but the third ODI told a different story. On Thursday, against the West Indies, Bangladesh’s openers broke that drought in style.
Soumya Sarkar and Saif Hassan gave Bangladesh a dream start in the series decider, taking the team past 100 in the 16th over.
The batting woes at the top had haunted Bangladesh for quite some time, not just in this series. Soumya and Saif’s stand was a refreshing reminder of what a strong start can do. Bangladesh had last reached a century opening stand 45 innings ago.
That previous century partnership came back in March 2023, when Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das added 102 runs against Ireland.
Since then, in the 45 innings leading up to this game, Bangladesh’s openers had managed to cross fifty only seven times. In their 10 ODIs earlier this year, their best opening stand had been a mere 45 runs.
Soumya and Saif finally turned the page on that frustrating chapter. Remarkably, they did it on the same pitch where both teams had struggled in the series opener. There was still some turn on offer, but the ball came onto the bat much better this time — and both openers took full advantage.
The signs of a strong partnership were clear early on. In the very first over, Saif Hassan struck two boundaries off Akeal Hosein to kick off Bangladesh’s innings. He later launched Hosein for a six, while Soumya joined the attack soon after. Together, they kept the scoreboard ticking at a rapid pace.
Soumya reached his half-century off 48 balls, while Saif — playing just his sixth ODI — brought up his maiden fifty from 44 deliveries.
Saif’s six also brought up Bangladesh’s team hundred in the 16th over.
The pair didn’t stop there. Their elegant stroke play lit up the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium as they pushed the score past 150 in the 22nd over.
Their partnership finally ended at 176 runs. Saif was dismissed for 80 off 72 balls, hitting six fours and six sixes before being caught at the boundary off Roston Chase.
By then, several records had already been broken. Their 176-run stand became the highest partnership for Bangladesh at any wicket at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, surpassing the 150-run opening stand between Imrul Kayes and Anamul Haque against Pakistan in 2014.
It was also Bangladesh’s second-highest opening stand overall, going past Mehrab Hossain and Shahriar Hossain’s 170-run partnership from 1999. The record still belongs to Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das, who put on 292 runs against Zimbabwe in Sylhet in 2020.
Soumya couldn’t reach his hundred either, falling for 91 off 86 balls with seven fours and four sixes. But by then, both openers had already set the perfect tone — and given Bangladesh the kind of start they had been missing for far too long.
