Liton credits change in partner for opening success

Bangladesh opener Liton Das said he owed Tigers' opening success to a change in partner at the other end as both Liton and Rony Talukdar took the Ireland bowlers to the cleaners in Bangladesh's 77-run win at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Wednesday. 

The openers were on a rampage as they smashed a 124-run opening stand – the highest opening stand for Bangladesh in T20Is, surpassing a 102-run stand between Mohammad Naim and Soumya Sarkar against Zimbabwe in 2021 in Harare.

"My partner at the other end changed, and it happened," he replied when asked what had changed for the Tigers' opening pair in the format.

"I think the start we gave was the highest in T20Is (for Bangladesh). Nothing can be bigger than this. You can't get this run of success in every match. We can't go in the middle and just start hitting every time. There will be times when we will have to suffer. But I am having a lot of fun batting with him," he added.

Liton missed out on a maiden T20I century as he nicked one while trying to cut after smashing 10 fours and three sixes, while Rony, who scored a 38-ball 67 in the first match, hit three fours and two sixes for his 23-ball 44 to help Bangladesh post a total in excess of 200 for a second straight match.