Bangladesh wanted Pakistan to win 3rd T20I because of brotherhood: Basit Ali
In his signature no-filter style, former Pakistan batter Basit Ali fired shots at Bangladesh's tame showing in the third and final T20I in Mirpur, where the hosts were thrashed by 74 runs having already sealed the series after winning the first two games at the same venue.
Pointing to Bangladesh's lapses in the field and a batting collapse that could rival a house of cards in a wind tunnel, Basit took aim at what he called a 'different mood' from the home side. According to Basit, the Tigers were in no mood to complete the sweep. Instead, he credited the defeat to a display of regional love.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "Credit goes to Bangladesh for winning the series. But today, they played with a different mood. They wanted Pakistan to win a match. This is the reality," Basit said in his Thursday video on his official YouTube channel, sparking a wave of reactions online.
"Sahibzada's [Farhan] batting turned the contest one-sided. And you could see the effect it had on Bangladesh. Their batting fell like a wall of sand."
Taking a swipe at the Tigers' lack of urgency, he continued: "But it did not bother them much. They thought: 'They are our brothers, our neighbours --let them win a match.' This was Bangladesh's body language."
Meanwhile, Pakistan finally found their groove. A change in the opening slots worked wonders as Sahibzada Farhan who replaced Fakhar Zaman smashed a 41-ball 63. He was backed by Hasan Nawaz's rapid 33 off 17 and a late flurry from Mohammad Nawaz, who scored 27 off 16 to push Pakistan to 178-7 — the highest total of the series.
Bangladesh's reply was nothing short of disastrous as they were bundled out for 104 in 16.4 overs. Without Mohammad Saifuddin's 34-ball 35 -- the highest score in the innings -- and 13 extras handed over by Pakistan, the defeat would have been far more embarrassing. Beyond Saifuddin and the extras, only opener Naim Sheikh managed to reach double figures -- a painful 17-ball 10-run stay in the middle before he was put out of his misery.
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