SL vs BAN 2025: 'Partnerships in the middle overs are crucial' - Mehidy Hasan Miraz reflects on Bangladesh's series defeat to Sri Lanka

Bangladesh ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz pointed to the absence of substantial partnerships as a key reason behind his team’s 99-run defeat in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. They were chasing a target of 286 but ultimately fell short and conceded the series 2-1. 

Mehidy acknowledged that while Sri Lanka recovered from early trouble thanks to a crucial 124-run fourth-wicket stand between Kusal Mendis and captain Charith Asalanka, Bangladesh failed to build a similar partnership that could have anchored their chase.

"When [Towhid] Hridoy and Jaker [Ali] were batting together, I still believed we could win the game. We just couldn't put together partnerships like Sri Lanka. They had a big partnership after they lost three wickets for 100 runs. Partnerships in the middle overs are crucial. We got a couple of 40s, but winning is hard without these partnerships in ODI cricket," Mehidy said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Towhid Hridoy top-scored for Bangladesh with a well-made 51, sharing partnerships of 42 runs with Parvez Hossain Emon and 43 with Mehidy. However, none of the batters managed to convert their starts into a match-defining innings, which ultimately hurt Bangladesh's chase.

"We are getting out soon after getting set. We can't keep the momentum for too long. We have to work on it. When I was batting with Hridoy today, we nearly grabbed the momentum. Then I got out. Momentum is required for a partnership. Strike rotation is important in a partnership. We have to play more low-risk cricket, not the high-risk cricket we are playing," Mehidy said.

Mehidy also expressed concern over Bangladesh's inability to bat out the full 50 overs in any of the three ODIs. They were bowled out for 169 in 35.5 overs in the first ODI in Colombo, lasted 48.5 overs in the second, and managed only 39.4 overs in the third. The Bangladesh captain stressed that the middle order, including himself, needed to take greater responsibility.

Batting at No. 5, Mehidy admitted his own shortcomings, having thrown away his wicket in two of the three matches. In the third ODI, he looked promising with a quick 28 off 25 balls, including four boundaries and a six, but perished at a crucial stage of the chase.

"It is a concern for the team that we couldn't bat 50 overs [in any of the matches]. It would have helped us if we had batted properly. Our middle-order batters need to take more responsibility. I couldn't play a lot of balls, either. It would have been better [if I had done so]. We have a lot of room for improvement. We have a lot of cricket in front of us,” Mehidy said.

"My dismissal put the team under pressure. I was trying to stay in touch with the run rate. I was looking for at least a boundary per over to meet the required run-rate. I didn't want to put that pressure on Towhid Hridoy. I tried to take a calculated risk, but I couldn't execute that shot properly. If I had, it would have gone for six," he added.

Hridoy registered his second half-century of the series but was once again unable to convert it into a bigger score. Mehidy noted that Hridoy lacked sufficient support from the other batters, which made it difficult for him to accelerate once he was set at the crease. Despite the setbacks, Mehidy maintained that he would continue to back his batters to play their natural game.

"I think he could have batted at a faster rate, but he couldn't do it as we kept losing wickets. Whenever he needed momentum, there was a setback. I won't blame him for today's defeat. If we could support him in a partnership, he could have batted at a faster rate. It is hard for a batter to bat in this type of situation,” Mehidy said.

"We could have hit more fours and picked up more singles. It is also a matter of emotional control. Everyone likes to play cricket in certain ways. Our top order likes to play with a bit of risk. They like to find boundaries. I can't stop them. It will make the situation difficult for the team. We are trying to regain every player's strength," he concluded.