Will the trials stop with Soumya-Liton?
Bangladesh have not had a stable opening pair in a while. Even looking at the records over the last two years, there have been 13 different opening pairs turning up for the Tigers. The need for a stable opening stand has been felt, especially as taking advantage of field restrictions is paramount to success in the shortest format of the game.
The ongoing home Sri Lanka T20I series in Sylhet have brought some much-needed vitality to the Tigers' rank, and of prominent importance was Jaker Ali Anik's performance as a lower-middle-order batter and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain's form over the two games. Along with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto's return to runs, the other factor that the hosts can take forward from the second T20I on Wednesday, leading to the three-match series levelled at 1-1, was how opening pair of Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar fared.
During the last year's ODI World Cup, changes to the batting order became the biggest obstacle to Bangladesh finding their feet in India. It led to their most disastrous outings in the apex event, where the media had frequently questioned the batters about the batting-order.
A stable opening pair can go a long way to finding a more settled solution with the T20 World Cup to come this year, and thus the ongoing T20I series could be a big indicator. Batters capable of handling the new ball can do something others might not and, when it comes to taking advantage of field restrictions in Powerplay, Soumya and Liton are two of the best in the business.
The duo put their stamp on the win in the second T20I with a 68-run stand in 6.5 overs. After the on-field umpire had to revert his decision of giving Soumya out, the opening pair took the game away from Sri Lanka.
The team management had been desperate to make a place for Soumya at the top-order since he returned to the Tigers' lineup with the away series against New Zealand last year. Soumya batted at number four in the first T20I but he opened in the third T20I with Anamul Haque.
This time, Soumya was asked to open with Liton in the first Sri Lanka T20I and, despite the partnership not having troubled the scorers a lot, the same opening partnership was trusted in the second T20I.
Alongside keeping the same eleven, the team management should be credited for not changing the opening pair once again as the Powerplay produced 63 runs with Soumya managing a 22-ball 26 and Liton hitting a 24-ball 36.
"Thankful that Liton trusted his usual batting style and struck 36, at a strike-rate of 150, without any improvisations," Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, cricket analyst and mentor to many national team stars, wrote in a Facebook post after the second T20I.
Soumya, however, had a difficult time in the middle despite hitting five fours during his knock. "Soumya's batting was good to watch in the last BPL, and it seemed he was playing with confidence. Did not find that Soumya today [Wednesday]. It's important to have full focus on the ball during play but it appeared he was overly aware of his technique. He could not dive into his batting," he had added.
The Powerplay carnage can easily make Soumya and Liton the partnership Bangladesh have always desired in T20s. Now, if both can find some consistency and clarity in approach, Bangladesh can tackle the T20 format with more assuredness.