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Litton Das’ 16th T20I half-century took Bangladesh to a four-wicket win against Ireland in Chattogram. As a result, the hosts levelled the three-match series 1-1 with this win, and broke a four-match losing streak in the format.Litton made 57 off 37 balls with three sixes and as many fours. But his dismissal, coupled with three more wickets in quick succession, left Bangladesh in some constraint in the end overs of the 171-run chase.When Bangladesh lost their fifth wicket in the 19th over, they still needed 22 runs to win off the remaining 14 balls. New batter Mohammad Saifuddin responded with a pulled boundary first ball, as Josh Little couldn’t grab the chance at short fine leg. When Bangladesh were six down in the 19th over and required another 14 runs in ten balls, Saifuddin hit a six over six and then a four – both off Mark Adair. He finished with a crucial 17* off seven balls, with two fours and a six.With three runs needed in the last over, Mahedi Hasan settled the matter with two balls remaining as a thumping drive through extra cover went for four.Ireland had earlier made 170 for 6 in 20 overs, although their rousing start was giving them hints of a 200-plus total. Bangladesh replied well with Parvez Hossain Emon and Litton giving them a fine start.Parvez Hossain Emon batted at a quick pace in the chase•BCB

Parvez cracks the whip

Parvez went after Matthew Humphreys, Ireland’s hero from the first T20I, for two fours in the first over, before going after Adair in the second. Parvez’s opening partner Tanzid Hasan, however, was run out after miscommunication even as Barry McCarthy, who was bowling the third over, lost possession of the ball while moving to his left.Parvez, though, didn’t stop his onslaught while his captain Litton aided him in the big-hitting. Litton and Parvez slammed Little for a six and two fours in the sixth over to give Bangladesh 66 runs in the powerplay. Parvez struck Gareth Delany for his second six, before falling in the legspinner’s next over for 43. Overall, Parvez struck five fours and two sixes in his 28-ball stay.

No luck for Little

JLittle was wicketless in the first T20I, and was unlucky when his captain Paul Stirling dropped Saif Hassan in the 11th over. The chance at cover was a difficult one, but Stirling is known for plucking these catches.Little had more bad luck when Delany grabbed a difficult chance at the deep-midwicket boundary. He had intercepted Litton’s pull with one hand, before settling under the ball in the second attempt. Replays, however, showed Delany’s towel, which was tucked behind his trousers, had touched the boundary rope. It was thus adjudged to be a six.File photo: Paul Stirling bashed 29 off 14 balls•ICC via Getty Images

Litton, Saif fall before final push

Litton and Saif kept Bangladesh’s run rate at par with the requirement. Litton lofted Delany for four before Saif struck him for a straight six in the 12th over. Litton then hit a beautiful six by going inside out over the covers to reach his fifty. Adair, however, got rid of him, trapping him lbw for 57.Three balls later, Saif gave long-on a catch off Delany, who bowled the delivery off 24 yards. Towhid Hridoy was then run-out for the sixth time in his career when he couldn’t reach the striker’s end, with his bat being in the air despite crossing the crease. When Nurul Hasan fell in the 19th over, Ireland sensed they were in the game.

Ireland openers go big

Ireland were off to a blistering start after they decided to bat first. Tim Tector was at it again, building on his 32 from the previous game. He struck Mahedi for three fours in the opening over, before Stirling lofted Nasum Ahmed for a four and six in the second over.Stirling then went after Saifuddin, hitting him for a six and two fours in the third over. Stirling, who bashed 29 off 14 balls, fell in the fifth over to a good catch from Saif in the deep, though Tector kept striking his pulls cleanly, as one of them landed deep into the second tier. Ireland’s 75 for 1 was their highest powerplay score against Bangladesh.File photo: Mahedi Hasan’s three wickets meant Ireland’s 88 for 1 quickly became 103 for 4•Bangladesh Cricket Board

Mahedi gives Bangladesh respite

Mahedi removed the Tector brothers, Tim and Harry, in the ninth over. He had Tim stumped off the first ball, when he swung at the ball, which went under the bat. Tim made 38 off 25 balls with two sixes, apart from his four boundaries. Mahedi then got one to skid below Harry’s bat to bowl him for 11. Mahedi also removed Ben Calitz for 7, also stumped by Litton. Ireland’s 88 for 1 in the ninth over quickly became 103 for 4 after 11.

Tucker helps Ireland recover

Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell got Ireland back on their feet with a 56-run fifth-wicket partnership. Tucker struck Nasum with a slog-swept four through mid-on, before slamming Tanzim and Saifuddin for three boundaries in the 16th and 17th overs.Dockrell, however, struck just one boundary in his 21-ball stay for 18 runs, while Delany, known for his big-hitting, struck just one six in the last over. Tucker was run-out off the last ball, having made 41 off 32 balls, with four boundaries.

“We have an edge on this wicket. We’ve played two games here. Australia has not played any. But they have a lot of experienced players who have played cricket in most countries. The way they assess the game is better.” It was a pretty telling statement from Sidra Amin, ahead of Pakistan’s World Cup clash against Australia – an opponent they’ve never beaten before.While Pakistan have lost both matches they’ve played in Colombo, to Bangladesh and India, the prevailing school of thought is that the slowish conditions – ones that Australia are yet to experience at this tournament – might help bridge the gap between the two teams. But only slightly.”They have played all over the world. They know the conditions better,” Amin said. “They play the WBBLs and the Hundreds, and come and play in Asian conditions as well. They take preparation very seriously. I’ve heard they prepare for Asian conditions with indoor sessions with the temperature up to 35-40 degrees [Celsius]. So they can train that way as well.”Related

• Winless Pakistan have uphill task of facing near-invincible Australia

While women’s cricket has grown dramatically over the past few years, it’s grown faster for some than others. This discrepancy, in part, stems from the calibre of competition each side gets to face.In the three and a half years since the 2022 World Cup, Australia have actually played two fewer ODIs than Pakistan – 32 compared to 34. However, of those 32 games, 15 have come against India and England – among the tougher challenges in world cricket. Pakistan have played only four games against those two – seven if you include Australia themselves.Ellyse Perry: I think we all go out with the same approach, and that’s to be really positive•ICC/Getty Images

Beyond this, once you dive into the importance of a strong domestic structure, you begin to see clearly how Australia have evolved over the years. A point not lost on Ellyse Perry who, having debuted in 2007, has been part of two ODI World Cup-winning sides and has seen first-hand the fruits of investing in the women’s game.”I think we’re incredibly lucky,” she said. “We’ve got wonderful support back home in terms of the programmes that we’ve got. We’ve got a full-time domestic structure that breeds great depth in Australian cricket. We’re a cricket nation too that loves playing the game. So we’ve always, throughout history, had wonderful players.”And I think as a group, we love the challenge of continuing to find new ways to get better. You know, there’s so much competition in the global landscape now. I think all the advent of the franchise leagues around the world has just grown the depth of women’s cricket.”In that context, the confidence that Perry gave off when analysing how an aggressive batting unit such as Australia’s would play on a not-so-batting-friendly surface like the one in Colombo was unsurprising.”I think we have a conversation with our batting group, which we’re quite fortunate to have some depth in. So for us, and it’s something that we’ve discussed a lot over the last 12 months, is how we use that depth. It’s never going to be everyone’s day on the same day. Quite possibly it might just be one person’s day.”But I think we all go out with the same approach, and that’s to be really positive, but also really adaptable and smart to whatever the game’s presenting, whether that’s conditions or the opposition. I think there’s a blueprint there that applies to anywhere that you play, and then you’ve just got to be adaptable all day.”

Toss Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Jaker Ali won the toss and elected to bowl against Pakistan in what is a virtual semi-final in the Asia Cup. The winner of this game will face India in the final on Sunday.Bangladesh’s regular captain Litton Das missed a second game in two days with a side strain. Jaker took over the captaincy once again and will stay as the wicketkeeper.Bangladesh also made three changes. Nurul Hasan, allrounder Mahedi Hasan and fast bowler Taskin Ahmed replaced Tanzid Hasan, seamer Mohammad Saifuddin and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed.As for Pakistan, they were unchanged from their win against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi earlier this week. Jaker’s decision at the toss went down well with his counterpart Salman Agha, who said Pakistan wanted to bat first. The slower bowlers could thrive on what looked like a dry Dubai surface.Bangladesh: 1 Saif Hassan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Towhid Hridoy, 4 Shamim Hossain, 5 Jaker Ali (capt), 6 Nurul Hasan, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Saim Ayub, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Hussain Talat, 6 Mohammad Haris (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed.

Eighteen-year-old Davina Perrin continued her impressive domestic form with a sparkling 42-ball 70 to overpower Trent Rockets in The Hundred.It was Perrin’s first half-century in The Hundred, and the second-highest score by a female English player uncapped at international level. More importantly for Perrin and Northern Superchargers, it took them to the top of the table with two wins from two.”I had a conversation with one of the coaches before and he said: ‘What are you going to do when you go out?’ And I was like: ‘have fun,'” Perrin said. “It was a pretty decent deck, it was coming onto the bat nicely, so it allowed me to lean into it and just try and play strong shots. It’s nice to do it front of so many people and on a decent ground, so happy days.”It was a dominant performance from the team in purple, who were on top straight away and rarely let their foot off the gas, save some customary excellence from Trent Rockets skipper Ash Gardner.The Superchargers had Rockets at 5 for 3 after 18 balls and right up against it, Gardner did her thing to fight back with a 32-ball 61 but it was essentially a lone hand and her side’s eventual total of 128 felt light at a sun-dappled Trent Bridge.Ash Gardner forces one away through the off side•Warren Little/Getty Images

Perrin dominated the opening partnership of 62 with Alice Davidson-Richards and entertained the crowd throughout, with strong shots all around the wicket and even a one-handed scoop. Phoebe Litchfield matched her stroke for stroke with her 10-ball 22 and Annabel Sutherland finished things off in a fittingly creative way, reverse-sweeping through the off-side.It was a performance of great promise from the Superchargers who will feel they’re laying down a marker, for Rockets the need to get a win on the board is getting ever greater.