'T20 is my game' - Sabbir Rahman

Sabbir Rahman started to punch the air every time he struck a six from the time he hit his fourth, during his record-breaking 122 against Barisal Bulls on Sunday. He described the celebration as a ritual that helps him "stay focused".

While it might seem unusual, it probably helps Sabbir. But closer to the truth is probably the fact that Sabbir was playing his favourite format. He said that he knows that a big innings is always around the corner when he is playing in T20s.

"T20 is my game," Sabbir said. "I got into the senior side in 2014 through T20s, and then also into the Test team. I believe it is my format, and I will make a big score, either today or tomorrow. But I am sure someone will break my 61-ball 122."

Shahriar Nafees, who made 63 for Barisal earlier in the game, said that Sabbir's spectacular innings made him mull whether they could have made more than 192. He said that Sabbir's wicket made the difference with Rajshahi unable to score the remaining 34 runs in the last four overs.

"He is an outstanding talent, an asset for Bangladesh and has been doing well for the country. He is very fit, powerful and a big-hitter. When he was batting, I thought we would have needed 220-230 runs on the board. Sabbir was clearing the boundary quite easily. It is one of the best innings I have seen in this country. But we believed that it is important to win the game regardless of the margin. It wasn't that easy to bat on that wicket unless you are set."

Despite his innings that beat Chris Gayle's 116 - the previous highest individual score in the BPL - Sabbir said that winning the game would have made him happier. He said that the batsmen who couldn't score the nine runs in the last six balls should have taken a different approach rather than trying to go for big hits.

"We should have won both close games. I don't know what our batsmen are thinking in the last over," he said. "I think we have to be stronger mentally. We could have won the previous game by taking singles rather than going for sixes. I think nine runs off the last six balls was an easy equation."