Tigers lose first Pakistan T20I by 37 runs

Bangladesh misfired in all three departments leading to a 37-run loss against Pakistan in the first T20I of the three-match series against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday.

Chasing a daunting 201, Bangladesh dished out an underwhelming batting effort, getting bundled out for 164 in 19.2 overs.

Skipper Liton Das top-scored with a 30--ball 48, featuring three sixes and a four, and Jaker Ali managed a 21-ball 36 after opener Tanzid Hasan raced off to 31 off 17 balls but all these batters failed to carry on and the frequent fall of wickets between them also pegged Bangladesh back in gaining any meaningful momentum to chase down the total.

 Pacer Hasan Ali marked his return to the national side with his maiden five-wicket haul, returning figures of 5-30 in 3.2 overs for Pakistan. Leg-spinner Hasan Ali chipped in with two wickets. 

Earlier, skipper Salman Agha struck a career-best 56 to guide Pakistan to 201-7. Agha struck a 34-ball 56, with eight fours and a six, while Hasan Nawaz's 22-ball 44 with four sixes helped Pakistan pass 200 after the hosts won the toss and chose to bat.

The captain, whose previous T20I best of 51 not out came against New Zealand in March, added 48 for the third wicket with Mohammad Haris and 65 for the fourth with Nawaz.

Pakistan were struggling at 5-2 after the loss of openers Saim Ayub, for a duck, and Fakhar Zaman in the first two overs.

All-rounder Shadab Khan scored a 25-ball 48 to help Pakistan add 58 in the last five overs.

All six Bangladesh bowlers were among the wickets, with left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam taking 2-32 in three overs.

Bangladesh played a part in helping their counterparts push past the 200-run mark as they dropped catches and conceded several boundaries owing to sloppy fielding. The visitors also pegged the hosts initially, thanks to two new ball wickets but failed to capitalise on their start. 

The second and third T20Is will be played at the same venue on Friday and Sunday.

Tigers off to slow start 

Already faced with a daunting runchase, Bangladesh got off to a slow start, managing just 45 runs for the loss of two wickets after six overs in the first T20I of the three-match series against Pakistan in Lahore on Wednesday. 

Opener Parvez Emon was dismissed for a dismal five-ball four but his partner Tanzid Tamim managed a 17-ball 31 before he missed a full and straight delivery in the fourth over. 

Skipper Liton Das (6) and Towhid Hridoy (4) remained unbeaten in the middle.  

Big chase for Tigers as Pakistan post 201-7

Pakistan skipper Salman Agha scored a half-century, while middlle-order batters Hasan Nawaz and Shadab Khan delivered valuable contributions to help propel their side to 201-7 against Bangladesh in the first T20I of the three-match series between the sides in Lahore on Wednesday. 

This is Pakistan's joint-highest total in the format against the Tigers, matching the same total scored in the 2016 T20 World Cup. 

Agha's 34-ball 56 featured eight fours and a six and helped Paklstan gain momentum after the hosts lost both openers inside the first two overs of the innings. Mohammad Haaris scored an 18-ball 31 but it was brisk cameos from Nawaz and Shadab that helped push Pakistan past the 200-run mark. 

Nawaz put away four maximums and two fours for his 22-ball 44, while Shadab's 25-ball 48 saw him hit five fours and two sixes. 

All six bowlers used by Bangladesh captain Liton Das registered their names on the wickets column, with pacer Shoriful Islam scalping two.  

Pakistan rebuild with Agha fifty after early jitters 

Pakistan captain Salman Agha scored a 29-ball half-century to propel his side to 97-3 at the halfway mark after the hosts lost both openers within the first two overs in the first T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh in Lahore on Wednesday. 

The hosts lost two wickets for just five runs on the board but Mohammad Haaris fought back with an 18-ball 31 before Agha stepped on the gas. Hasan Nawaz remained unbeaten on an eight-ball 12. 

Mahedi, Shoriful give Tigers quick breakthroughs in Powerplay 

Off-spinner Shak Mahedi Hasan picked up a wicket in the very first over of the match, and pacer Shoriful Islam followed suit in the next to give Bangladesh a couple quick breakthroughs in the T20I opener of the three-match series against Pakistan in Lahore on Wednesday. 

Mahedi removed left-handed opener Saim Ayub for a golden duck before Shoriful trapped Fakhar lbw. This left Pakistan two down for nine runs after two overs.

Tigers asked to bowl first in first Pak T20I 

Bangladesh will be fielding first as hosts Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat in the first of the three-match T20I series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore today. Since becoming full-time captain of the T20I side, Litton Das has lost all four tosses so far.   

Bangladesh will be hoping to bounce back with a win today, having suffered an embarrassing 2-1 series defeat to hosts UAE, who are ranked six places below the ninth-ranked Tigers in T20Is. The Tigers have gone with the same eleven that featured in their six-wicket loss to the UAE in the third T20I.  

The Tigers are without a few of their regular pacers for the series, with Taskin Ahmed nursing an achilles injury and Mustafizur Rahman left out due to a finger injury he suffered during his recent Indian Premier League stint with Delhi Capitals. Pace sensation Nahid Rana, meanwhile, has withdrawn from the tour.

Bangladesh have a poor T20I record against Pakistan, winning just 3 out of 19 encounters and losing 16. However, they did beat Pakistan the last time the two sides met -- though that match featured second-string squads during the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Bangladesh are yet to win a game against Pakistan in Pakistan in the shortest format, having lost all three previous encounters. 

Playing XIs:

Pakistan: 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Mohammad Haris (wk), 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Hasan Nawaz, 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Khushdil Shah, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Hassan Ali, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed

Bangladesh: 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Mahedi Hasan, 6 Jaker Ali (wk), 7 Shamim Hossain, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Shoriful Islam