Bangladesh Beat Pakistan to Win ODI Series 2-1

Bangladesh vs Pakistan 3rd ODI ended with Bangladesh securing an 11-run victory to clinch the three-match series 2-1 on Sunday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

Chasing a target of 291, Pakistan were bowled out for 279 in their allotted 50 overs after a dramatic contest that saw Bangladesh hold their nerve in the final over.

Pakistan’s chase got off to the worst possible start as both openers were dismissed within the first two overs.

Taskin Ahmed struck on the fifth delivery of the opening over to remove Sahibzada Farhan for six off five balls after the batter had struck a boundary.

Maaz Sadaqat soon followed as Nahid Rana dismissed him with a sharp bouncer after he scored six off five deliveries, including a six, leaving Pakistan struggling at 12-2 in 1.5 overs.

Taskin then dealt another blow by bowling Mohammad Rizwan with a sharp delivery that rattled the stumps. Rizwan managed four off four balls with one boundary.

Pakistan rebuild after early collapse

Debutant Ghazi Ghori and Abdul Samad attempted to steady the innings with a 50-run partnership that carried Pakistan past the 50-run mark.

However, Nahid Rana broke the stand on the final delivery of the 14th over when Ghori departed for 29 off 39 balls, which included three fours and a six.

Pakistan were further pushed back when Abdul Samad was dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman after scoring 34 off 45 deliveries with five fours.

Salman Ali Agha and debutant Saad Masood then rebuilt the innings and guided Pakistan past the 100-run mark in the 21st over.

Their important 79-run stand ended when Mustafizur Rahman dismissed Saad Masood for 38 off 44 balls, leaving Pakistan at 161-6 in 31.2 overs.

Salman Ali Agha kept Pakistan in the contest with confident strokeplay.

The right-hander reached his 10th ODI half-century before continuing his impressive innings despite Pakistan’s struggles.

Pakistan’s seventh wicket fell when Taskin Ahmed removed Faheem Ashraf, who scored nine off 20 balls.

Salman Ali Agha then produced a remarkable fightback for Pakistan, eventually bringing up a brilliant century in the third ODI.

He and Shaheen Shah Afridi added a crucial 50-run partnership to keep Pakistan’s hopes alive.

Taskin Ahmed eventually claimed his fourth wicket when he dismissed Salman Ali Agha for 106 off 98 deliveries, an innings that featured nine fours and four sixes.

Shaheen Afridi continued to fight and struck back-to-back sixes off Mustafizur Rahman in the penultimate over.

However, Mustafizur responded by dismissing Haris Rauf for one, leaving Pakistan needing 14 runs in the final over.

Rishad Hossain bowled the last over and conceded just two runs as Shaheen Afridi was stumped on the final delivery after scoring 37 off 38 balls with two fours and two sixes. Abrar Ahmed did not face a ball.

Taskin Ahmed was the standout bowler for Bangladesh, finishing with figures of 4/49 in his 10 overs.

Mustafizur Rahman picked up three wickets, Nahid Rana took two, while Rishad Hossain claimed one.

Tanzid Hasan powers Bangladesh total

Earlier, Bangladesh produced a strong batting display after electing to bat first.

Openers Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hasan gave the hosts a confident start with a solid 50-run partnership.

Runs flowed freely as Pakistan struggled to find early breakthroughs.

Tanzid Hasan continued his impressive form and brought up his sixth ODI half-century as Bangladesh crossed the 100-run mark.

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi eventually broke the opening stand of 105 runs by dismissing Saif Hassan for 36 off 55 balls with three fours.

Tanzid then added another valuable partnership with Najmul Hossain Shanto, as the pair added 50 runs to push Bangladesh beyond 150.

Haris Rauf provided Pakistan with the second breakthrough when he dismissed Shanto for 27 off 34 balls.

Tanzid Hasan continued his superb innings and went on to score his maiden ODI century.

His brilliant knock came to an end when Abrar Ahmed dismissed him for 107 off 107 balls, an innings that included six fours and seven sixes.

Later in the innings, Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy stitched together a steady 68-run partnership to strengthen Bangladesh’s total.

Das scored 41 off 51 balls before he was dismissed by Haris Rauf.

Rauf also bowled Rishad Hossain for a duck with a sharp inswinger, leaving Bangladesh at 262-5 in 46.4 overs.

Towhid Hridoy remained unbeaten on 48 off 44 balls with four boundaries, while Afif Hossain added five runs.

Faheem Ashraf bowled the closing overs economically as Bangladesh finished with a competitive total of 290.

Haris Rauf was Pakistan’s best bowler with figures of 3/52 in 10 overs, while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed claimed one wicket each.

The victory sealed a memorable series win for Bangladesh as they claimed the three-match ODI series 2-1.

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Source: https://www.pcb.com.pk/