Following a series defeat in the UAE, Litton Kumar Das and his team began their campaign in Pakistan with another disappointing loss.
Litton had just struck a stunning six, signaling hope for the visitors. Bangladesh were looking to their captain’s bat for inspiration. The next ball from Shadab Khan was short and seemingly hittable, but Litton mistimed it and handed a simple catch to point. Frustrated, he stared at the sky for a moment — a reflection of the fading hopes of his team.
While it may seem excessive to dwell on a single dismissal in a big-margin defeat, the fact remains: as long as Litton was at the crease, Bangladesh had a fighting chance. Once he was gone, the chase unraveled. Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series with a comprehensive win.
On Wednesday in Lahore, captain Salman Ali Agha’s fifty and impactful knocks from Hasan Nawaz and Shadab Khan powered Pakistan to 201 in 20 overs — their first-ever 200-plus total at Gaddafi Stadium.
In reply, Bangladesh folded for 164. At one stage, they were cruising at 100 for 2. Litton scored 48 off 30, while Zakir Ali chipped in with a late 36 off 20 to reduce the margin.
Hasan Ali, returning to T20Is after a year, bagged five wickets — his first five-for in international T20s, and the first ever by a Pakistani bowler against Bangladesh. Yet, it was Shadab Khan who earned the Player of the Match award for his all-round display.
It was also a winning start for Pakistan’s new coach, Mike Hesson.
The match began with drama. On just the second ball, Fakhar Zaman stepped out to attack Sheikh Mehedi Hasan and narrowly avoided dismissal. But Saeem Ayub wasn’t as lucky — mistiming a shot on the very next delivery to hand the bowler a simple catch. It was a golden duck for the talented left-hander in his T20I debut.
Fakhar followed him soon after, trapped LBW by a brilliant delivery from Shoriful Islam. Pakistan were reeling at 5/2.
Mohammad Haris counterattacked, smashing two boundaries and a six off Shoriful in the next over. Salman then hit three consecutive boundaries off Mehedi in the following over.
From 12 runs in the first three overs, Pakistan rocketed to 52 after six.
Tanzim Hasan Sakib removed Haris (31 off 18) just after the powerplay, caught at long-on. But the momentum didn’t slow. Salman found a steady partner in Hasan Nawaz, and the pair accelerated.
Salman reached his fifty in just 29 balls, including a six and two fours off consecutive deliveries from Tanzim. Nawaz then tore into Rishad Hossain’s bowling. Their partnership yielded a rapid fifty-run stand.
The 65-run stand ended when Salman (56 off 34) mistimed a Hasan Mahmud full toss to cover. Nawaz soon followed — after hitting a six and two boundaries, he spooned a catch back to Rishad for 44 off 22. Earlier this year, he had smashed 105 off 45 in New Zealand, but also had three ducks and a single in that series. This time, batting in the middle order, he showed more balance.
After the departure of Nawaz and Salman, Pakistan’s run rate dipped slightly. Shamim Hossain, an occasional spinner, bowled impressively and broke through with the wicket of Khushdil Shah (5 off 10), who fell trying to force the pace.
Shadab Khan restored momentum at the death, punishing Rishad with two sixes and a four. He fell just short of a fifty (48 off 25) but ensured Pakistan crossed 200.
Shamim bowled his full quota for the first time in his T20I career and picked up a wicket. Rishad had a tough day, conceding 55 runs — his most expensive spell so far.
Pakistan smashed 42 runs in the last three overs.
In pursuit of a record target, Bangladesh had a promising start. In the first over, Tanzid Hasan hit a six and Parvez Hossain Emon added a boundary off Faheem Ashraf.
But Parvez fell for just 4, undone by a slower ball from Hasan Ali. Tanzid continued his aggressive approach, smashing two sixes off leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed and two boundaries off Hasan — only to be bowled next ball for 31 off 17.
Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy then built slowly. After 10 overs, Litton had 25 off 21 and Hridoy 15 off 17.
Then Litton stepped up, smashing two sixes in one over off Haris Rauf. He then hit Shadab for a six as well, raising Pakistan’s nerves. But just like many times before, he couldn’t carry on — and Bangladesh’s hopes disappeared with him.
Hridoy’s struggle continued — he was eventually dismissed for a scratchy 17 off 22.
The rest of the lineup collapsed. Shamim and Rishad offered little resistance, and although Zakir Ali fought with 36 off 20, the match was out of reach.
None of Bangladesh’s last six batters reached double digits. Hasan Ali wrapped up the innings, completing his five-wicket haul.
The next match is scheduled for Friday.
Match Summary
Pakistan: 201/7 in 20 overs
- (Fakhar 1, Saeem 0, Haris 31, Salman 56, Nawaz 44, Shadab 48, Khushdil 5, Faheem 11*, Hasan 1*)
- Bowling: Sheikh Mehedi 4-0-36-1, Shoriful 3-0-32-2, Hasan 3-0-24-1, Tanzim 2-0-22-1, Rishad 4-0-55-1, Shamim 4-0-31-1
Bangladesh: 164 all out in 19.2 overs
- (Tanzid 31, Parvez 4, Litton 48, Hridoy 17, Zakir 36, Shamim 4, Rishad 4, Tanzim 1, Mehedi 2, Hasan 9*, Shoriful 5)
- Bowling: Faheem 3-0-18-1, Hasan Ali 3.2-0-30-5, Abrar 4-0-35-0, Rauf 3-0-36-0, Shadab 4-0-27-2, Khushdil 1-0-6-1, Salman 1-0-12-1
Result: Pakistan won by 37 runs
Series: Pakistan lead 1-0
Player of the Match: Shadab Khan
