Bangladesh secured a four-wicket victory on Saturday, leveling the T20I series 1-1 in Chattogram. Though Ireland had their chances in a tightly contested match that could have gone either way, it was ultimately the hosts who prevailed. On a night of twists, one moment of surreal misfortune in the field, at a point when the chase was finely balanced, proved brutally decisive.

That moment arrived with Bangladesh needing 83 off 57 balls, the match was evenly poised when Litton Das, batting on 27 off 22, pulled a short delivery from Joshua Little towards deep mid wicket. Right at the edge of the boundary, Gareth Delany produced what looked like an outrageous, match-turning catch as he held it one-handed overhead, flicked it up as he toppled backwards, then scrambled forward to complete the rebound. It should have been the dismissal that cracked open the chase. Instead, replays revealed that the towel tucked into the back of his trousers brushed the boundary cushion while the ball was still in play. Six runs, not out. A moment of genius undone by a centimetre of cloth, and in a match of fine margins, it did cost dearly.

After the reprieve that gave six runs to Litton who hammered 24 off his next 14 balls and finished with a pivotal 57 off 37, turning the momentum in Bangladesh's favour.

Earlier, Ireland’s innings had been a tale of two halves. Skipper Paul Stirling and Tim Tector burst out in overdrive, racing to 75 for 1 in the powerplay. However, the momentum evaporated almost instantly. From 88 for 1 in the ninth over, the visitors slipped to 103 for 4 by the 11th. Mahedi Hasan’s three wickets including both Tector brothers (Tim and Harry) and Ben Calitz, who had replaced Curtis Campher in the starting XI for the second T20I, pushed Ireland on the backfoot.

In his post-match address, Stirling highlighted how it got more challenging to score freely as the innings progressed.

“It’s quite quick and early on it’s easier to bat than you thought. And then it sort of gets harder as the game progresses. And that happened in both innings,” said Stirling.

Ireland certainly felt it. The final 84 balls brought just 95 runs, with Lorcan Tucker’s 41 dragging the total to 170 with cameos from George Dockrell and Delany. The total seemed competitive, but still felt short after what Ireland’s start had promised.

Bangladesh attacked from the outset, striking a boundary in every powerplay over, and raced to 66 for 0. Before Ireland’s middle-overs squeeze created a brief wobble. Late wickets from Mark Adair and Delany gave Ireland a sniff, but Mohammad Saifuddin’s calm, well-timed boundaries guided Bangladesh home with two balls to spare.

Ireland had their moments. They just didn’t get the one that mattered most. The series decider will take place on Tuesday.