Pakistan win first T20I by five wickets
Pakistan have won the first T20I against Bangladesh by five wickets at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. Shoaib Malik hit an unbeaten 58 as Pakistan coasted to victory with three deliveries and five wickets to spare.
19.3: A wild whack from new batsman Mohammad Rizwan and he doesn't connect. Mohammad Mithun gets under it at mid wicket but drops a sitter. Pakistan run the two required for victory.
End of over 19: Pakistan are 137 for 5 and need five runs from the last over to be bowled by Soumya Sarkar.
18.1 - Wicket! Ball from Al Amin keeps low and and Imad Wasim fails to connect. Al Amin doesn't and Pakistan lose their fifth. Imad Wasim b Al-Amin Hossain 6 (4b 1x4 0x6) SR: 150.00
17.3: Pak 129/4: Substitute Nazmul Hossain drops Shoaib Malik at the boundary off the bowling off Mustafizur. A big let off as it could have been a critical wicket. Ball rolls over the ropes and Malik gets his 50.
16.3: Wicket: Pak 117/4 - Shafiul removes Iftikhar Ahmed for 16 runs. The ball moves just a shade off the pitch and takes the outside edge before Liton Das takes the catch.
Iftikhar Ahmed c †Liton Das b Shafiul Islam 16 (13b 2x4 0x6) SR: 123.07
End of over 15 : Pakistan 106 for 3. 36 runs needed in five overs. Shoaib Malik 35 (31b), Iftikhar Ahmed 14 (9b); Shafiul Islam 3-0-20-1; Aminul Islam 4-0-28-1
11.5 - Wicket! Against the run of play, Bangladesh get a wicket through the leg spin of Aminul Islam. The debutant Ahsan Ali is enticed by a slow, wide delivery that he tries to hit to Karachi, but succeeds only in skewing to long off. Ahsan Ali c sub (Nazmul Hossain Shanto) b Aminul 36 (32b, 4x4)
End of over 10: Pakistan 68 for 2. Ahsan 32 (27b), Shoaib 17 (15b); Aminul 2-0-15-0, Afif 1-0-6-0
After the two early wickets Pakistan have regrouped and are going strong with an unbeaten 33-run third-wicket stand between veteran Shoaib Malik and debutant Ahsan Ali. After the Powerplay easy singles have been on offer and the batsmen have been punctuating them with the odd boundary to keep abreast of the run rate. Pakistan now need 74 runs from the last 10 overs
End of over 6: Pakistan 36 for 2. Ahsan 17 (15b), Shoaib 0 (3b); Al-Amin 2-0-4-0, Mustafizur 2-0-20-0
Bangladesh have kept things quiet in the Powerplay overs through the wickets of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and veteran batsman Mohammad Hafeez, scalped by Shafiul Islam and Mustafizur Rahman respectively. The unsung hero, however, has been paceman Al-Amin Hossain, whose two overs cost just four runs.
4.5- Wicket! After bowling two bad deliveries that were punished for boundaries, Mustafizur Rahman hits the magic formula. His signature off cutter lands just outside leg stump and up squares the right-handed Mohammad Hafeez, who spoons a catch to short cover. Mohammad Hafeez c Aminul Islam b Mustafizur Rahman 17 (16b, 3x4)
0.2- Wicket! Shafiul Islam gets rid of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for a duck in the second ball of the innings. The ball pitched on a length and shaped in, taking a feather edge and going through to the keeper Liton Das, who completes a good catch lunging forward. Babar reviews the out decision, but it only serves in confirming his dismissal and leaving Pakistan without any further reviews. Babar Azam c Liton Das b Shafiul Islam 0 (2b)
Bangladesh post 141/5: The innings never really took off for Bangladesh as the visitros end their innings on an underwhelming 141 for five in the first T20I, leaving hosts Pakistan an apparently simple task on what seems to be a good batting wicket. Bangladesh openers Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Naim provided a good start with a 71-run stand 11 overs.
While that should have set the platform for the following batsmen to play some big shots, the Tigers lost momentum through a mixture of poor running shot selection from the likes of Naim, Afif Hossain and Soumya Sarkar and poor running between the wickets by Tamim and Liton Das. There was also some excellent bowling from Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan.
End of over 19: Bangladesh 128 for 5. Mahmudullah 11 (10b); Shaheen 4-0-23-1, Rauf 3-0-19-1
Shaheen Afridi gave away just two runs in the penultimate over and took the wicket of Soumya Sarkar, leaving Bangladesh's innings in a pretty sorry state heading into the last over. Unless Mahmudullah Riyad and Mohammad Mithun can plunder 20 runs in the last over, Bangladesh will be left with a sub-par score.
18.5 - Wicket! Another shot played across the line and another Bangladesh batsman bowled. This time it is the left-handed Soumya Sarkar against the left-handed pace of Shaheen Afridi. Soumya Sarkar b Shaheen Afridi 7 (5b, 1x4)
17.4 - Wicket! And the wickets continue to tumble for Bangladesh. An off-cutter from haris Rauf has Afif Hossain playing all around it and missing it completely to be bowled. Afif Hossain b Haris Rauf 9 (10b)
16.3 - Four. Skipper Mahmudullah chips a slower ball over cow corner for a boundary. Bangladesh are going to need many more of these, and some that go a touch further.
End of over 15: Bangladesh 100 for 3. Mahmudullah 1 (1b), Afif 1(1b); Shadab 4-0-26-1, Hasnain 3-0-30-0
After a good, albeit slow, opening stand the stage was set for an explosion. But currently, it seems that Bangladesh are imploding with just 30 balls remaining and a par total getting farther away by the over. Much will depend on the skipper from here.
14.4 - Wicket! And this time Shadab has something to show for his hard work. Naim steps out and tries to clobber a maximum, but gets fails to get to the pitch of the ball and skies it to long on for a simple catch. Mohammad Naim c Iftikhar Ahmed b Shadab Khan 43 (41b, 3x4, 2x6)
14.3 - Wicket! With Pakistan unable to pick wicketswith the ball, the Tigers have helped them out with Liton Das following Tamim's example and running himself out. But it's excellent work from Shadab as he runs after a Naim leading edge towards long off, Does a sliding pick up and hits the stumps before Liton can complete the second run. Liton Das run out 12 (13b, 2x4)
10.6 - Wicket! Tamim turned Shadab towards deep square leg and scampered back for a risky two, but the throw from the deep was accurate and Tamim's despairing dive was to no avail. Tamim Iqbal run out 39 (34b, 4x4, 1x6)
End of Powerplay:
5.6 - Ban 35/0
Tamim Iqbal 15 (19b)
Mohammad Naim 20 (17b)
Haris Rauf 1-0-6-0
Shaheen Afridi 2-0-11-0
5.2 - Ban 33/0: Tamim smashes Rouf thorough the covers for four to become the leading run-scorer for Bangladesh in T20Is, taking over the mantle from Shakib Al Hasan.
3.6 - Ban 26/0: Mohammad Naim and Tamim Iqbal have provided a solid start to the Tigers in the first T20I at Lahore. Naim in particular is trading in boundaries.
Mohammad Naim 18 (14b)
Tamim Iqbal8 (10b)
Mohammad Hasnain1-0-11-0
Imad Wasim 2-0-7-0
Toss:
Bangladesh have won the toss and elected to bat first in the first T20I at Lahore against Pakistan.
The Tigers are ranked ninth in the ICC T20 rankings while Pakistan are top. The tour was mired in uncertainty until the BCB and PCB managed to come to a decision to hold the tour in three phases with the security blanket in Pakistan a concern for the Bangladesh players. The Tigers are visiting Pakistan for the first times since 2008.
Squads:
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Naim, Afif Hossain, Liton Das (wk), Mahmudullah (capt.), Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Aminul Islam, Shafiul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain
Pakistan: Ahsan Ali, Babar Azam (capt.), Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
More to follow...
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