In what was a must-win encounter, Bangladesh came up trumps by defeating Pakistan by 11 runs in the third and final ODI of the bilateral series at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka, on Sunday, March 15.
The home team batted first and put up a commanding total of 290-5 on the board, thanks largely to the contributions made by Tanzid Hasan Tamim (107) and Towhid Hridoy (48 not out). Wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das also chipped in with a handy 41. Tamim, however, was the star for Bangladesh with his run-a-ball knock.
The opener kept his composure through the early overs, only latching onto the poor deliveries sent his way by the Pakistanis. He batted with a strike rate of 100, hitting six boundaries and seven sixes. None of the Pakistani bowlers came good, save Haris Rauf, who returned with figures of 3-52.
Shaheen Afridi and Abrar Ahmed picked up a wicket apiece. In response, Pakistan could not quite get off to a good start as Bangladesh seamers Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana ripped their plans apart. The fast bowlers picked up six wickets amongst themselves and kept their team in the hunt at all times.
It was their T20I captain, Salman Agha, who stood up for the Pakistanis in the middle order with a well-made 106 off just 98 balls. None of the other batters in the visiting side’s camp could cross the 40-run mark, with only Saad Masoon (38) and Afridi (37) chipping in. Pakistan’s disastrous batting performance was due to Taskin’s accuracy with the ball, as well as left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman’s variations.
Rahman gave away just 54 runs in his 10 overs, but he was outdone by Mehidy Hasan Miraz. The Bangladesh captain bowled his ten overs at an economy rate of just 3.70, stifling the Pakistani run chase. Bangladesh had earlier won the first ODI, while Pakistan got their revenge in the 2nd. In this winner-takes-all encounter, Bangladesh rose above the rubble, defeated their opponents, and pocketed the series 2-1.
