After thrashing Pakistan in first ODI, it was Bangladesh‘s turn to receive the thrashing in the second match as Pakistan bounced back to outplay the hosts by 128 runs under DLS method in a rain affected game in Mirpur, Dhaka. Apart from the toss, Bangladesh were outplayed by Pakistan in all facets of the game as the Men in Green bounced back to level series 1-1. There were areas that Bangladesh went missing and we will highlight that for you in this article.
Conceding 85 runs in first powerplay to Maaz Sadaqat’s brilliance put Bangladesh on back foot
Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl first hoping for a re-run of what happened in first ODI against Pakistan. But it was anything but that. Setting the tone is essential and the powerplay overs were crucial and that is where Pakistan jumped ahead of Bangladesh. Sahibzada Farhan opened alongside Maaz Sadaqat and Farhan got the initial boundary away before turning into a spectator.
It was the Maaz Sadaqat show in the powerplay as he was a determined individual batting for his country. He tore apart the Bangladesh bowling attack inside out as nobody from Taskin, Mustafizur or Nahid were just not spared by him. Runs came at will and the hosts were guilty of bowling too many loose deliveries in first powerplay which enabled Pakistan to get a flying start. They scored 85 in 10 overs and Bangladesh were on the back foot and playing catch-up.
Yes, Bangladesh came back through middle overs after the 103-run opening stand where Sadaqat made 75 out of which 63 came in the powerplay. Salman Agha and Rizwan also had a 109-run stand but Bangladesh did well in the back half to keep Pakistan to 274 where 300+ was a mere formality at one point. But the damage was done as 274 was in itself a good score and Pakistan had the bowling to defend it which they showed in the second half.
Looking ahead, Bangladesh needs to plan better and be more incisive and disciplined with line and lengths in order to do well in what will be the deciding third match on Sunday. They were all over the place with the ball initially, made a comeback but it was too much in the end for Bangladesh.
Losing 3/15 initially inside 5 overs put Bangladesh on the back footÂ
Chasing 275 for the win in 50 overs to seal the series, Bangladesh came out to bat hoping to get a solid start and lay the platform for others to come in just like Pakistan did earlier in the day. But that did not quite happen. The opening duo added 13 runs inside 3 overs before Tanzid Hasan fell to Shaheen Afridi for 1 when the score was at 13. Bangladesh lost wickets in clusters throughout, but this was at the start dented them hard.
Thereafter, Mohammad Wasim Jnr got into the act as he removed Saif Hassan for 12 off 12 balls before Afridi got another cleaning up Najmul Hossain Shanto for a silver duck as Bangladesh were reeling at 15/3 in 4.3 overs. Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy joined forces and could add a further 12 runs to the tally to take the score to 27/3 in 6.3 overs when lightning struck the stadium and players went off the field. Heavy rain and hailstorms arrived delaying play significantly.
Rain stopped play for more than 2 hours and once play resumed, DLS came into play in which the match was reduced to 32 overs a side. Because, Bangladesh had lost 3 wickets early, the target was revised and set at 243. If the Tigers had wickets in hand, when rain came then the target may have been a tad smaller. So, from here on, Bangladesh were playing catch-up in rebuilding the innings and required rate pressure.
Going ahead, Bangladesh needs to start better in powerplay and keep wickets in hand in the approach of a significant total. How keeping wickets in hand is crucial was shown in DLS calculations last night. Bangladesh needs to tighten their game and not fall like a pack of cards.
Losing 6/19 in a span of 7.1 overs sealed the fate of the game
After the rain break, Bangladesh resumed at 27/3 and were playing catch-up as the required rate was a factor now as well. But the duo of Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy showed some resistance out there and tried to take the fight to Pakistan. Litton was fluent and aggressor of the two while Hridoy played perfect role of anchor. They put Pakistan under a bit of pressure although Men in Green were ahead in the contest.
The duo got together at 15/3 and took the score to 73 adding 58 runs for the fourth wicket before Litton was adjudged LBW for 41 off 33 balls to Maaz Sadaqat thanks to good usage of DRS. Afif Hossain and Hridoy also carried it on a bit further and added 22 runs for the 5th wicket before Afif fell 14 off 15 balls to Sadaqat again. Once Afif fell at the score of 95 as the Tigers became 95/5, the floodgates opened up for Bangladesh as the collapse happened from here.
Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz came and went for 1. Rishad Hossain fell for 2. The last recognised batter Towhid Hridoy fell for 28 off 28 balls as the hosts slumped to 103/8 and it was a matter of time now. Mustafizur and Taskin too came and fell as Haris Rauf cleaned up the tail while Sadaqat got 3 wickets and 75 runs with bat for a Player of the Match performance. From 95/4 in 16.2 overs, Bangladesh slumped to 114 all out in 23.3 overs losing 6/19 in the process.
These kinds of collapses must be avoided at all costs as it is very unbecoming of a national side to have these collapses at the international level. Credit to Pakistan for their disciplined, aggressive bowling but Bangladesh could have done a lot better and they know that. The Tigers will like to bounce back with series on the line on Sunday.
What Lies Ahead
The series is all square at 1-1 as the focus shifts to Sunday for the deciding 3rd ODI in Mirpur, Dhaka. Both teams will want to win the series. So far, we have had contrasting one-sided games for either side. Which team will come out on top and remember, important points up for grabs in standings ahead of 2027 ODI World Cup from Bangladesh’s point of view. So, it’s all to play for in Mirpur, Dhaka.
Let’s wait and see which team comes out on top in Mirpur, Dhaka for this crucial clash on Sunday.
Also Read: BAN VS PAK: Maaz Sadaqat’s All-Round Performance Levels Series For Pakistan At 1-1.