Bangladesh registered a dominant 7-wicket win over Pakistan in the first of three T20Is at Mirpur, Dhaka. This is only their 4th ever win against Pakistan and co-incidentally three of them have come in Mirpur. Bangladesh first restricted Pakistan to 110 in 19.3 overs with only Fakhar Zaman scoring 44 off 34 balls while Taskin Ahmed picked up 3/22 in 3.3 overs and Mustafizur Rahman bowled a tidy spell of 2/6 in 4 overs.
Chasing 111 for the win, Bangladesh rode on a terrific half-century from Parvez Hossain Emon (56*) ably supported by Towhid Hridoy (36) and Jaker Ali (15*) to get to the target in 15.3 overs. The Tigers outplayed Pakistan in all facets of the game and deserved the win that they achieved in Mirpur on Sunday.
Taskin Ahmed & Mustafizur Rahman’s lethal spell dismantles PakistanÂ
Put into bat first, Pakistan openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub came out to embrace the challenge. Fakhar started with a bang as he hit Mahedi Hasan for a boundary over the bowler’s head through mid-on. Fakhar got a lifeline as Taskin Ahmed dropped a sitter at short fine leg when the batter mistimed a slog sweep. Saim Ayub got off the mark with a boundary as 9 runs came off the opening over from Mahedi Hasan.
Taskin Ahmed was greeted with a boundary from Fakhar Zaman, but soon Taskin got the first breakthrough for Bangladesh. Taskin bowled a full ball on middle and leg stump, Saim went down on one knee and tried to hoick it away but miscued it straight to Mustafizur Rahman at deep backward square leg. Mohammad Haris came in at 3 to join Zaman in the middle.
Fakhar was dealing in boundaries as he hit Mahedi for two consecutive boundaries before going off strike. Haris joined the fun but Mahedi had the last laugh getting him off the final ball of the over. Back of the length with turn and grip off the surface, Haris looked to pull it away but the shot was not on. He mistimes the ball to deep midwicket where Shamim Hossain made no mistake. Captain Salman Ali Agha walked out to bat next.
Zaman continued his merry ways getting a boundary away off Taskin. Salman was settling down in the crease. Tanzim Hasan Sakib came into the attack and got rid of Salman at the end of the 5th over. The hard length ball angled into the batter, who shuffled across to the off-side to scoop it over the keeper’s head and gets hit on the gloves as the ball lobs towards Litton Das. Hasan Nawaz comes in next and perishes soon after.
Mustafizur Rahman picked up his first wicket as Hasan Nawaz departed for a duck. Fuller length delivery on the off-stump line cutting away from the batter, Hasan Nawaz cleared his front foot looking to tonk the ball over the leg side and got the thick outside edge to third man where Rishad Hossain took a diving catch in front of him. Mohammad Nawaz walked out to bat next and at the end of the powerplay, Pakistan were more than just a spot of bother at 41/4 in 6 overs.
Runs dried up in the middle overs which created pressure and resulted in Mohammad Nawaz being run out for 3 thanks to a misunderstanding between him and Fakhar. Khushdil Shah came in next to bat while Fakhar survived a close LBW call against Mahedi Hasan.
The 50 came up for Pakistan in 8.5 overs while Khushdil got a welcome boundary off Taskin to close out the 9th over. Fakhar was riding his luck as he was dropped again by Mahedi off his own bowling. The ball hit the bowler’s eye socket and the physio was out there treating him. Fakhar added insult to injury by hitting a six and then a boundary to end the 10th over as Pakistan went to the Drinks Break at 66/5 in 10 overs.
Shamim Hossain bowled a tight over after the break Fizz was not giving anything away. This resulted in the set batter Fakhar Zaman getting run out for 44 off 34 balls laced with 6 boundaries and a six to his name. Miscommunication between the batters meant another run out and the set batter walking back. Abbas Afridi came into bat next. Some tight overs followed as the boundaries dried up. Afridi survived a stumping chance off Rishad Hossain. He also survived a close LBW shout against him off Sakib.
Khushdil finally broke the shackles by hitting a six off deep cover point off Rishad Hossain. He ended the over with another maximum over wide long-on as Pakistan reached 88/6 in 15 overs. Afridi was not to be left behind as he hit two consecutive maximums of Sakib to bring up the 100 for Pakistan in 15.5 overs. Pakistan needed a good finish to post a competitive total.
Mustafizur Rahman broke the budding stand as Khushdil Shah departed for 17 off 23 balls laced with one boundary and a six to his name. The back of the length slower delivery outside the off-stump, Shah looked to slap it over mid-off but could not get enough elevation to find Rishad at the edge of the circle. Faheem Ashraf walked out to bat next and survived a LBW appeal first ball he faced. Tidy overs followed as Pakistan reached 110/7 in 19 overs as we reached the final over of the innings.
Taskin Ahmed tasked to bowl the final over of the innings got rid of Faheem Ashraf first ball. The back of the length delivery from over the wicket angling across outside off-stump, Ashraf planted his front leg across and hoicks at it and gets the thick outside edge which balloons to third man where Mahedi took the catch inside the ring safely. Salman Mirza was the next batter in and was run out next ball trying to sneak in a bye as he was well short of the crease at the bowler’s end.
The set batter Abbas Afridi departed the very next ball as Bangladesh completed a team hat-trick. The short of a length slower ball outside off, Abbas stood tall and threw his hands at it and mistimed it straight up in the air as Litton Das with gloves on pouches it easily. Pakistan were bowled out for 110 in 19.3 overs with Bangladesh achieving this feat for the first time in T20Is against them. 6 extras given by the Bangladesh bowlers.
Taskin Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/22 in 3.3 overs. Mustafizur Rahman bowled a miserly spell of 2/6 in 4 overs. Tanzim Hasan Sakib bowled a miserly 1/20 in 4 overs while Mahedi Hasan finished with 1/37 in 4 overs. Shamim Hossain bowled an over for 2 runs while Rishad Hossain bowled 3 overs for 19 runs and remained wicketless. This meant Bangladesh needed 111 runs to win to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.
Parvez Hossain Emon’s half-century leads Bangladesh to a clinical win
Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan came out to open the batting for Bangladesh in the chase. Bangladesh were off to a shaky start as the debutant Salman Mirza struck in the first over dismissing Hasan for 1. He was pumped up as well with the wicket. Short of a length outside off, Hasan rocked back and tried to take it on but the ball hits him high on the bat. The ball goes to Fakhar Zaman at mid-on who makes no mistake. Litton Das the captain walked out to bat next.
Pakistan had another moment to celebrate soon as Salman Mirza got rid of Litton Das courtesy a brilliant catch by Khushdil Shah. Fuller length delivery around off, Litton Das gave himself room to nail the lofted drive but got the outside edge flying to the right of first slip. Shah leapt and took a blinder as Bangladesh were in a spot of bother now. Towhid Hridoy walked in next and Mirza bowled a no ball and the free hit was dispatched for the maximum by Hridoy to get off the mark.
Emon then decided to take on the bowling as he hit a maximum off Saim Ayub before changing strike. Hridoy hit him for a maximum as well with the runs starting to flow for the Tigers. Emon then hit Mirza for the maximum as the floodgates had opened suddenly. There were nervy moments like the ball falling in front of fielders, but no alarms otherwise. At the end of the powerplay, Bangladesh had recovered to get to 38/2 in 6 overs.
Bangladesh had the chase under control in the middle overs milking the bowling and not allowing Pakistan to get back in the game. Hridoy got a boundary away off Abbas Afridi to assert the dominance of Bangladesh from time to time. He also got a top edge for a boundary over the keeper’s head as Bangladesh stayed ahead of the required rate. Hridoy hit a boundary off Abrar Ahmed before Abrar induced a faint outside edge which the keeper failed to latch onto the catch. The duo survived a run out chance as well but safely made it to Drinks Break at 64/2 in 10 overs needing a further 47 runs off 60 balls.
Emon was on a roll as he hit a maximum off Abrar Ahmed to put the pressure on the bowler. Mohammad Nawaz was introduced into the attack and he was not spared either as Emon hit him for the maximum as well to end the 12th over. Pakistan wasted a DRS against Towhid Hridoy off the bowling off Abbas Afridi for caught behind more so for desperation. But Afridi had his man in the end cleaned him up for 36 off 37 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name.
Abbas bowled a back of the length delivery pitching around off and jags back into the batter, Hridoy backed away to swing across the line but misses it completely and the ball sneaked past the inside edge of the bat to uproot the middle stump. A wicket against the run of play and a bit too late as well. Jaker Ali came out to bat next at 5. Jaker got off the mark straightaway by hitting a boundary off Abbas Afridi.
Jaker Ali hit a streaky boundary off Faheem Ashraf before going off strike before Emon hit him for a boundary and then the maximum to complete his fifty off 34 balls and bring up the 100 for Bangladesh in 13.5 overs. He hit another boundary to end the 14th over as 19 runs came off the Ashraf over. Bangladesh were within touching distance of winning this game. Emon was given OUT LBW off Abrar Ahmed and he sent it upstairs to get the decision back in his favour. At the end of 15 overs, Bangladesh were 106/3 with 5 runs needed off 5 overs.
Salman Mirza induced an outside edge off Emon and the keeper dropped the catch which summed up the day for Pakistan. Then he bowled a wide delivery as well did Salman. Emon rotated the strike before Jaker Ali hit the winning runs by playing a short arm pull shot towards deep midwicket for a boundary off the back of the length delivery outside off as Bangladesh won this contest by 7 wickets with 27 balls left. Emon was unbeaten on 56 off 39 balls with 3 fours and 5 sixes to his name alongside Jaker Ali who was unbeaten on 15 off 10 balls with 3 boundaries to his name. Three wins in a row now for the Tigers in T20Is. 3 extras given by Pakistan bowlers.
Salman Mirza on debut was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/23 in 3.3 overs. Abbas Afridi picked up a wicket in his 1/16 in 2 overs. The rest went wicketless and had too low a target to defend. So, Bangladesh win by 7 wickets and Parvez Hossain Emon was adjudged the Player of the Match for his clinical half-century and was unbeaten till the end.
What Lies Ahead.Â
The two teams will be back in action on 22nd of July 2025 at the same venue in Mirpur where Bangladesh will hope to seal the series while Pakistan aims to level things up and force a decider a few days later. Will Bangladesh seal the series? Or will Pakistan level things up? All eyes will be on Mirpur at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday to witness this epic battle. Let’s see how things pan out from hereon.
Also Read:Â BAN vs PAK : Resurgent Bangladeshi Tigers Aim To Continue Winning Run Against Pakistan