Despite a poor performance by the top and middle orders, Mehidy Hasan Miraz's maiden ODI hundred and Mahmudullah Riyad's effective knock guided Bangladesh to an impressive total of 271 runs in the second ODI against India in the three-match series in Mirpur.
While Mahmudullah fell for 77, Miraz was not out, scoring 100* off 83 balls—his best innings in the format—with 8 fours and 4 sixes.
After Bangladesh lost six wickets for 69 runs within 18 overs, Miraz and Mahamudullah staged a remarkable partnership of 148 runs off 165 balls, propelling team Bangladesh to a challenging total of 260 runs. Their invaluable contribution gave Bangladesh a realistic chance of winning the match.
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Before Miraz and Mahamudullah's heroics, Mohammad Siraj and Umran Malik gave Bangladesh a difficult start to the innings after they elected to bat first. Thanks to their efforts with the ball, Bangladesh found themselves in a very precarious situation, requiring an unlikely recovery to set a decent total.
Siraj put Bangladesh under pressure early on by taking the wickets of Anamul Haque Bijoy and Liton Das in quick succession. Umran then delivered a lethal 151 kmph fast ball, which Najmul Hossain Shanto failed to connect with, resulting in his off-stump being destroyed.
Washington Sundar then compounded Bangladesh's misery by taking the wickets of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Afif Hossain, with the latter going for a golden duck. This triple-strike gave India a huge advantage and left Bangladesh on the back foot.
When Bangladesh seemed to be heading for a disastrous collapse, Miraz and Mahmudullah combined forces and rescued their team from the cliff edge. They put on an impressive partnership of 148 runs until Umran bowled a short-pitched delivery, which Mahmudullah failed to connect properly with and plucked a dolly to the wicket-keeper.
Read more: 2nd ODI: Bangladesh struggle against dominant Indian bowlers
Mahmudullah eventually closed off the innings with 77 off 96 balls, featuring seven boundaries, despite his poor form in the first match, leading to many questions being asked of him. Nevertheless, Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo showed faith in his batter's abilities, believing that Mahmudullah could deliver when it mattered most.
Miraz continues to amaze the fans with his batting ability. He was the hero of Bangladesh in the first match that Bangladesh won from a lost position, and now he saved the Tigers from a batting collapse that looked inevitable at one point.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz was most aggressive against Indian bowling in the last five overs, when Bangladesh scored more than 60 runs at an average of more than 11. Miraz managed to reach his first One-Day International century thanks to his attacking display, and Bangladesh got a total of 271 to challenge a strong Indian batting lineup. For India, Washington bagged three wickets, while Siraj and Umran shared four wickets between them.