Bangladesh defeated Ireland while setting a new record for the highest run chase on home soil—led by Liton Kumar Das and his team.
With 33 runs needed off the last 31 balls and eight wickets in hand, Liton Kumar Das was still at the crease with a fine fifty. The match should have been over without fuss. But Bangladesh always finds a way to turn an easy chase into a tense one. They nearly made a mess of it again, until Mohammad Saifuddin’s late cameo finally eased the nerves.
Bangladesh beat Ireland by four wickets in the second T20I to level the three-match series.
Earlier on Saturday in Chattogram, Ireland posted 170 runs in their 20 overs. Bangladesh survived a tense final phase to seal victory with two balls remaining.
Liton, the captain and Player of the Match, produced a superb 57 off 37 balls with three fours and three sixes.
However, the award could easily have gone to Sheikh Mehedi Hasan. Despite giving away 13 runs in the opening over, the off-spinner bounced back brilliantly, conceding just 25 runs in four overs and taking three wickets. He also struck the elegant boundary that kept Bangladesh alive in the chase.
But it was Saifuddin—returning to the XI—who guided the team home with an unbeaten 17 off 7 balls during the final challenge.
Just like the previous match, Ireland began aggressively. In his comeback over, Sheikh Mehedi Hasan was struck for three boundaries by Tim Tector. In the next over, Paul Stirling hit a four and a six off Nasum Ahmed.
Stirling continued the assault with two fours and a six off Saifuddin. Then, Tim Tector launched Tanzim Hasan for a six as Ireland crossed fifty inside five overs.
Stirling’s innings ended on 29 off 14 when Saif Hasan took a brilliant catch in the same over. The partnership ended at 57 off 28 balls.
Ireland kept scoring freely. In Mustafizur Rahman’s first over, Tim Tector hit him for a six and a four.
Ireland collected 75 runs in the Powerplay.
After the Powerplay, Bangladesh finally put a brake on the scoring. Mehedi and Nasum bowled two back-to-back overs without conceding a boundary, and that pressure brought wickets. In a single over, Mehedi removed both Tector brothers.
Tim Tector was stumped for 38 off 25, and Harry Tector—hero of the previous match—was bowled for 11 off 11.
Mehedi struck again in his next over, dismissing Bel Calitz.
Ireland slowed down after losing quick wickets. Their designated finisher, George Dockrell, never got going as the bowlers tied him down. He eventually fell for 18 off 21 in the penultimate over.
Mustafizur conceded a six in the final over but gave away only two runs in the remaining five deliveries.
Ireland scored 97 runs in their first 10 overs but only 73 in the next 10. Lorcan Tucker remained unbeaten with 41 off 32 balls.
Bangladesh’s chase began with a storm from Parvez Hossain Emon, who struck a four and a six in the first over. Matthew Humphreys, who gave only 13 runs in four overs in the previous match, conceded 12 in his first over this time.
Tanzid Hasan ran himself out in the third over, but Parvez and Liton kept the momentum going. Bangladesh reached 66 in the Powerplay.
Even though scoring slowed afterward, Bangladesh stayed in control. The 60-run stand broke with Parvez’s dismissal for 43 off 28.
Bangladesh escaped twice in the next over despite two sensational fielding efforts from Ireland. Paul Stirling almost took a stunning diving catch at cover to dismiss Saif for 0, but the ball fell just short. On the next delivery, Gareth Delany pulled off an unbelievable boundary catch to remove Liton—only for the ball to brush the handkerchief tucked into his trousers and touch the boundary cushion. Instead of a wicket, it became a six!
Given that lifeline on 27, Liton punished Delany in the next over with a four and a six.
The captain’s fluent batting was steering the chase comfortably, and Bangladesh looked set for a dominant win.
Everything changed once Liton got out. In the very next over, Saif Hasan fell for 22 off 17. Then Tawhid Hridoy (6 off 9) and Nurul Hasan Sohan (5 off 7) played poor shots, dragging the team into pressure. Suddenly, the match became wide open. The Irish players grew increasingly energized.
But with 14 needed off 10 balls, Saifuddin smashed a stunning six over extra cover to break the tension. One ball later, he hit a four to seal the result. The final over held no drama.
The series decider will be played on Tuesday at 2:30 PM.
Score Summary
- Ireland: 170/6 in 20 overs
(Stirling 29, Tim Tector 38, Harry Tector 11, Tucker 41*, Calitz 7, Dockrell 18, Delany 10*; Mehedi 4–0–25–3, Nasum 4–0–31–0, Tanzim 3–0–17–1, Saifuddin 4–0–40–1, Mustafizur 4–0–39–0, Saif Hasan 1–0–7–0) - Bangladesh: 174/6 in 19.4 overs
(Parvez 43, Tanzid 7, Liton 57, Saif 22, Hridoy 6*, Sohan 5, Saifuddin 17*, Mehedi 6*; Humphreys 4–0–38–0, Adair 4–0–36–2, McCarthy 4–0–27–0, Little 3.4–0–39–0, Delany 4–0–28–2)
Result: Bangladesh win by 4 wickets.
Series: Level 1–1 after two matches.
Player of the Match: Liton Kumar Das
