Habibur Rahman has carved his name into Bangladesh’s cricketing history with a breathtaking display of power-hitting. Representing Bangladesh A in the Rising Stars Asia Cup, the young opener blasted a sensational century off just 35 deliveries, becoming the quickest Bangladeshi to reach three figures in T20 cricket. His knock surpassed the previous national record held by Parvez Hossain Emon, who struck a hundred off 42 balls during the Bangabandhu T20 Cup in 2020.
Chasing Hong Kong China’s target of 168 in Doha, Bangladesh A were off to a dream start thanks to Habibur’s ferocious hitting. He launched the innings with three consecutive sixes in the very first over, setting the tone for what would become one of the most dominant powerplays in Bangladesh’s T20 history. By the end of the sixth over, the team had raced to 107 runs, of which Habibur alone contributed 88 off 25 balls, including ten towering sixes—all within the powerplay.
His opening partner, Zishan Alam, provided steady support with 20 off 14 deliveries, helping construct a blistering 111-run stand in just 39 balls. Habibur’s early blitz raised hopes that he might even break the world record for the fastest T20 century — Sahil Chauhan’s 27-ball effort. However, the Bangladeshi opener slowed down slightly at the end, taking 11 balls to score his last 12 runs.
Captain Akbar Ali added fireworks of his own, hammering 41 not out from 13 balls, striking five sixes — all in the final five deliveries of one over.
Despite Bangladesh’s dominant batting, their bowling performance was less convincing. The bowlers conceded 102 runs in the final 10 overs, with Abu Haider giving away 26 in the last over alone. Hong Kong finished on 167, driven by a composed 63 off 49 from Babar Hayat.
Bangladesh A ultimately secured victory by eight wickets with 54 balls to spare, marking a powerful start to their tournament campaign.