Pakistan ended their T20I series on a high with a 74-run victory over Bangladesh in the third and final match in Dhaka on Thursday. Despite the loss, Bangladesh sealed the series 2-1, having already won the first two matches. Opener Sahibzada Farhan led the charge with a blistering 41-ball 63, smashing six fours and five sixes to give Pakistan a strong start. He put up an 82-run opening stand with Saim Ayub (21), setting the tone for a much-improved batting effort. Hasan Nawaz added late fireworks with 33 off 17 balls, while Mohammad Nawaz chipped in with a useful 27 off 16 deliveries as Pakistan posted 178/7. In reply, Bangladesh crumbled under pressure. Fast bowler Salman Mirza, playing only his third international match, tore through the top order with figures of 3-19. He struck with the second ball of the innings, removing Tanzid Hasan for a duck and triggering a collapse. Only Mohammad Saifuddin put up some resistance, remaining unbeaten on 35. Mohammad Naim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (both scored 10) were the only other batters to reach double digits as Bangladesh were bowled out for 104 in 16.4 overs. Faheem Ashraf supported well with 2-13, and Mohammad Nawaz claimed the final two wickets to seal the win. “I am very proud of my team,” said Pakistan captain Salman Agha after the match. “This is what we talked about as a team, no matter what situation we are in, we want to show character,” he added, as quoted by AFP. Bangladesh skipper Litton Das remained positive despite the loss. “We played some good cricket and it’s great to win a series against Pakistan,” said Litton, who also led Bangladesh to a T20 series win in Sri Lanka last week.
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Bangladesh had already made history by securing their first-ever T20I series win against Pakistan, winning the first two games by seven wickets and eight runs respectively. For the final match, they rested five key players including pace spearhead Mustafizur Rahman. Taskin Ahmed took 3/38 and Nasum Ahmed claimed 2/22 for Bangladesh, but their efforts weren’t enough to stop Pakistan from claiming a consolation win.
