Litton equals Shakib’s record for most T20I fifties for Bangladesh

Bangladesh T20I skipper Litton Das got off to a solid start at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, smashing a blistering half-century to guide the Tigers to an eight-wicket win over the Netherlands in the first T20I of the three-match series.

In the process, Litton equalled Shakib Al Hasan's record for the most T20I fifties for Bangladesh, matching the ace all-rounder with his 13th half-century in the format.

The right-hander was in full flow from the start, bringing up his fifty in just 26 balls before finishing unbeaten on 54 off 29 deliveries, an innings laced with six boundaries and two sixes which helped Bangladesh chase down a 137-run target in only 13.3 overs.

It was Litton's first fifty against the Netherlands in four outings, surpassing his previous combined tally of 54 runs against the Dutch.

So far, Litton has scored T20I half-centuries against eight different opponents -- Afghanistan (2), England (1), India (1), Ireland (1), Pakistan (1), Sri Lanka (1), West Indies (2), and Zimbabwe (3) -- with Zimbabwe being the most frequent victim.

The 30-year-old now has 2,346 runs in the format, sitting third on Bangladesh's all-time run chart behind Shakib (2,551) and Mahmudullah Riyad (2,444). Among the trio, however, Litton boasts the best strike rate at 125.92.