Liton ends lean patch with 9th T20I fifty

Opener Liton Das brought up his fifty as he and in-form batter Najmul Hossain Shanto kept the scoreboard moving at a decent pace after Bangladesh got off to a commanding start in the third and final T20I against England in Mirpur today. 

Bangladesh moved on to 122 for the loss of one wicket after 14 overs and are eyeing a big total.

After a shaky start, Liton found his rhythm and brought up his ninth T20I fifty off 40 deliveries. The right-hander, who has been experiencing a lean patch with only 28 runs in his last five international innings, welcomed pacer Cris Jordan to the attack with consecutive boundaries in the 12th over to move closer to the landmark score. 

Liton was quick to adjust his positions and play a few well-timed sweeps off leggie Adil Rashid. He also showed his intelligence when he used Sam Curran's pace to place the ball past two fielders through the backward point region for a boundary in the 10th over. 

Along with some unconvincing shots going his way, Liton also rode his luck when a sitter from him off a Jofra Archer delivery was dropped by Sam Curran as he breathed a sigh of relief on 51. But Liton made most of that life, smashing Archer for a boundary and a six in that over before going inside out to lift Adil Rashid for another boundary in the next over. 

Shanto, the in-form battter who scored fifties in the first two T20Is, also picked up from where he had left off. He took the charge on the English spinners, smashing Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid for two huge sixes over midwicket region as he moved past the 20-run mark.