In T20s, Bangladesh has endured a nine-year-long drought against Pakistan with their full-strength side. However, Tigers’ captain Liton Das wants to look ahead, leaving the past behind. He has sent a clear message to his teammates—to break records, they must play their best cricket.

The three-match T20I series between Bangladesh and Pakistan begins today at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. The match starts at 6 PM.

So far, Bangladesh has won only three out of 22 matches in this format against Pakistan. One of those wins came in the 2023 Asian Games, where no team fielded their main squad. Bangladesh’s last victory against Pakistan’s main team was in March 2016 during the Asia Cup, also held in Mirpur.

With 12 consecutive defeats against Pakistan, Liton sounded determined to end the losing streak:
“All records are meant to be broken someday. If we can play our best cricket, it won’t take long to break this record.”

While acknowledging the home conditions as an advantage, Liton emphasized the importance of performance:
“Thanks to the BPL, Pakistani players are also familiar with our conditions. So, to win, we must play better cricket.”

When asked about the pitch, Liton replied:
“It might not be a high-scoring match, but it will be competitive. Both teams will be neck and neck.”

Despite defeating India, England has been fined. On the fifth day of the Lord’s Test, England secured a thrilling 22-run victory. However, even after winning the match, the hosts have been penalized.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) fined England for a slow over-rate. As a result, England has been docked 2 points, and 10% of the players’ match fees have been deducted.

India also came close to being fined for the same reason but narrowly avoided it!

At Lord’s, an extra 30 minutes had to be added to play on all four of the first days. The result came during the third session on the fifth day. Despite extending playtime by 30 minutes each of the first four days, a full quota of 90 overs was not completed. Only 83 overs were bowled on the first day. On the following days, not even 80 overs were completed. In total, 368.1 overs were bowled across both teams’ four innings. Ideally, 450 overs should have been bowled across five days (90 per day), but the total fell significantly short.

Both teams bowled slowly, but only England has been penalized. The reason: England did not bowl a full 80 overs in India’s second innings. On Day 1, 83 overs were bowled, all by India. On Day 2, 72.2 overs were bowled—India bowled 23.2 and England bowled 49. On Day 3, 77.2 overs were bowled—England bowled 76.2 and India 1 over. On Day 4, 78.5 overs were bowled—India 61.1 overs, England 17.4. On the final day, 57.1 overs were bowled, all by England.

In total, out of 368.1 overs in the Test match, India bowled 166.1 overs while England bowled 202 overs.

According to ICC rules, over-rate penalties are considered only if a team bowls more than 80 overs in an innings. India’s bowling in England’s first innings met this threshold but did not constitute slow over-rate. In England’s second innings, although India bowled slowly, they dismissed England before completing 80 overs. Therefore, India avoided any penalty, while England had to bear the consequences.

Test cricket is known for its long battles and high-scoring scoreboards. But sometimes, teams collapse so dramatically that their innings end in the blink of an eye, creating embarrassing records. Let’s take a look at the list of the lowest team totals in Test cricket history.

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New Zealand – 26 all out vs England (Auckland, 1955)

The lowest team total in Test history belongs to New Zealand. In 1955, they were bowled out for just 26 runs in Auckland. The highest individual score in the innings was only 11. Five batters were dismissed for ducks. No team has broken this shameful record to date.

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West Indies – 27 all out vs Australia (Kingston, 2025)

The second-worst collapse happened recently in Kingston. West Indies were bowled out for only 27 runs. Australia’s pace attack completely destroyed their batting lineup. Mitchell Starc tore through the order. This day will remain a dark chapter in Caribbean cricket history.

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South Africa – 30 all out vs England (Port Elizabeth, 1896)

In 1896, South Africa were bundled out for just 30 runs against England. While chasing in the second innings, George Lohmann demolished their lineup. He took 8 wickets for just 7 runs—one of the best bowling figures in Test history. At that time, South Africa was still struggling to establish itself in international cricket.

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South Africa – 30 all out vs England (Birmingham, 1924)

Once again in 1924, South Africa collapsed against England, getting bowled out for just 30 runs in the second innings. Morris Tate and Arthur Gilligan shared the wickets and gave the South African batters no chance whatsoever.

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South Africa – 35 all out vs England (Cape Town, 1899)

This match took place in Cape Town during England’s 1899 tour of South Africa. The hosts were dismissed for just 35 runs in their first innings. England bowlers Schofield Haigh and Albert Trott took 6 and 4 wickets respectively, triggering the collapse. This was another sign of England’s dominance over South Africa during that era.

The Tigers want to clinch victory at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium. The venue has witnessed many of Bangladesh’s memorable wins. One of the most iconic came in the 2018 Nidahas Trophy, where Bangladesh pulled off an extraordinary win against Sri Lanka. With 6 runs needed off the last 2 balls, Mahmudullah Riyad smashed a six over cover off Udana on the fifth delivery, sealing an unbelievable victory for the Tigers.

At the same ground where Mahmudullah hit that match-winning six, Liton’s team is now set to face hosts Sri Lanka in what’s essentially an unofficial final. With both teams having won one match each in the three-match T20I series, the Premadasa encounter has become the series decider.

Perhaps that’s why Tigers’ assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin is dreaming big at Premadasa. He believes that the momentum gained in Dambulla will inspire the team to play with confidence. “The way the boys played the last match, the team has gained good momentum. Everyone is confident. Hopefully, we’ll do well here (at Premadasa),” said Salahuddin.

Bangladesh lost the first match of the series in Pallekele. However, they bounced back in style by winning the second T20I at Dambulla’s Rangiri Stadium by a record 83 runs. In an all-round performance with both bat and ball, Liton’s men bowled out the hosts for just 94 runs.

In 19 T20I matches between the two sides, Bangladesh has won 7 while Sri Lanka has 12 wins. Interestingly, the Tigers have a better win percentage at Premadasa — winning 3 of the 4 matches played there against Sri Lanka, a 75% success rate.

Bangladesh has played a total of 7 T20Is at this venue, losing all 3 against India, but their highest-ever successful T20 chase also came here — when they chased down Sri Lanka’s 214/6 in the Nidahas Trophy with two balls to spare. Mushfiqur Rahim was the hero that night, remaining unbeaten on 72.

With two incredible wins at this venue in the past, assistant coach Salahuddin believes there’s little room for change in the playing XI today:
“There’s not much scope to change the XI because there’s no strong replacement outside the playing group. We’ll try to stick with the same plan. If the upper and middle order perform, we’ll have a good chance. We’ll play to our strengths.”

In the 83-run win at Dambulla, captain Liton Das and Shamim Hossain Patwary starred with the bat. Liton scored his first half-century in 13 matches, hitting 76 off 50 balls with 1 four and 5 sixes, earning the Player of the Match award. Shamim played a quickfire 48 off 27 balls. Salahuddin hopes that Zakir and Shamim can finish matches going forward:
“We want Zakir and Shamim to finish games. Shamim proved himself in the last match. He can play big innings from any position.”

So far in the Sri Lanka tour, Bangladesh has scored 3 centuries and 6 half-centuries. Despite this, assistant coach Salahuddin has faced heavy criticism over the batters’ inconsistency. It’s also reported that the BCB is searching for a world-class batting coach to replace him.

In response to this criticism, Salahuddin said:
“I’m a coach. Even if I’m asked to coach the Under-13 team, I wouldn’t mind. It’s not written anywhere that I can only coach the national team. I don’t have an ego problem about this. I’m not worried. Even if a batting coach is brought in, I hope it’s for the betterment of the team.”

He added with emotion:
“The Bangladesh team is not my ancestral property. If I don’t perform, I will be criticized — that’s something I must accept. If I do well, I’ll be praised. What matters most to me is whether I’m giving 100% to my team and being honest in my work.”