ABDULLAH AL MEHDI from Chattogram

When the target is 180-plus and Bangladesh require 106 from the last 10 overs, optimism is usually in short supply. But in Chattogram yesterday, Tawhid Hridoy turned the tide with a composed and calculated innings, stitching together crucial partnerships with Parvez Hossain Emon and Shamim Hossain Patwary to guide Bangladesh to their highest successful T20I chase at home against New Zealand in the first match of the three-match series.

Hridoy walked in under pressure after Litton Das had fallen and the required rate had climbed above 10. The situation worsened when Tanzid Tamim departed in the following over. However, Hridoy immediately seized the initiative, launching Ish Sodhi over midwicket -- a shot that has become his signature against spin -- to shift momentum.

In earlier chases, Hridoy’s efforts often came in vain. His career-best 83 against Ireland last November, for instance, ended in a 39-run defeat while chasing 181. This time, however, he found the support he needed as Bangladesh completed the chase with two overs to spare.

The partnership with Emon proved pivotal. The duo added 57 runs from just 28 deliveries at a run rate of 12.21 -- Bangladesh’s fastest fourth-wicket scoring rate in successful chases over the past three years. Emon’s brisk 28 helped steady the innings and allowed Hridoy to build with greater freedom.

“The middle order is a position where you have to hit boundaries while also building the innings,” Hridoy said at the post-match press conference following his unbeaten 51 off 27 deliveries.

“What I felt was that when Emon started attacking, it made things much easier for me. I felt the game was firmly in our hands, so I didn’t need to take as many risks. Definitely, credit goes to both Emon and Patwari (Shamim) as they finished the game really well,” he added.

If Emon helped regain control, Shamim ensured there was no slip thereafter. The fifth-wicket stand between Hridoy and Shamim came at a blistering rate of 15.47 -- the highest for Bangladesh in successful chases in the last three years. Shamim hammered 31 off just 13 balls, including a remarkable six struck straight over the wicketkeeper’s head.

“Number five or six is such a position that you would get fifty just one or two days. If anyone is scoring fifty from number six, that means the team was on the back foot that day. I think what Shamim did today, his impact was bigger than a fifty,” Hridoy said on contributions of the middle-order.

“He plays shots that very few batsmen in our team can execute. At number six, you need a player who can hit the ball anywhere at any time. The six he hit, very few of us can hit a shot like that. So definitely, I pray that he continues to deliver good performances consistently,” Hridoy said as he shone with a fifty, finding solid partners in crime.