Saif and Soumya Fall Short of Centuries, Yet Their Record Partnership Lights Up Bangladesh

It was a morning of fresh energy at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Unlike the first two ODIs, where Bangladesh’s openers had taken a cautious approach, Soumya Sarkar and Saif Hassan rewrote the script in this decisive encounter. Both openers displayed fearless, attacking cricket, building a record-breaking partnership that thrilled the crowd — even though neither could reach the coveted century.

On Thursday, 23 October, against the West Indies, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first. The two openers provided a flying start, dominating the West Indian attack right from the powerplay overs. They maintained an aggressive tempo, steadily taking control of the innings and constructing a magnificent 176-run opening stand, which now stands as Bangladesh’s highest-ever opening partnership at Mirpur.

Previously, the record at this venue was 150 runs, set by Anamul Haque Bijoy and Imrul Kayes against Pakistan in 2014.

From the outset, Saif Hassan batted with commanding intent. Once his footing was firm, he launched an array of boundaries and sixes, putting the spinners under relentless pressure. His innings of 80 runs off 72 balls, studded with six fours and six sixes, was his finest in ODI cricket so far. However, his aggressive intent brought his downfall — in attempting to clear Roston Chase for another big hit, he was caught at long-on, ending a glittering innings and the record partnership.

Soumya Sarkar, meanwhile, was equally impressive. The left-hander combined elegance and power, steering the innings confidently toward what seemed a certain century. But his dream was cut short when he mistimed a lofted shot off Akeal Hosein’s off-spin and was caught near the boundary. Soumya’s 91 off 86 balls, featuring seven fours and four sixes, was a commanding innings, but he fell agonisingly close — just nine runs short of the hundred he richly deserved.

When Soumya departed, Bangladesh’s total stood at 211 for 2 after 36 overs. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy then took the crease, aiming to consolidate the innings. They batted with composure, although the tempo naturally slowed after the explosive start provided by the openers.

This fixture was the series decider — Bangladesh had won the first ODI by 74 runs, before suffering a narrow defeat in a super over in the second. The outcome of this third match would determine the series winner: victory would secure the series for Bangladesh, while defeat would hand it to the West Indies.

Though both Soumya Sarkar and Saif Hassan narrowly missed personal milestones, their spirited batting and record-breaking partnership rekindled memories of Bangladesh’s best top-order performances. More importantly, it gave fans renewed hope — that the nation’s opening pair can once again set the tone for dominance in one-day cricket.