A whirlwind half-century by opener Sahibzada Farhan and brilliant bowling by Salman Mirza powered the Pakistan cricket team to a resounding 74-run victory over Bangladesh in the third and final T20 match.
BAN vs PAK 3rd T20I: The Pakistan cricket team concluded their tour on a winning note by defeating Bangladesh by a significant margin of 74 runs in the third and final T20I of the series. This match was about saving face for Pakistan, as Bangladesh had already clinched the first two matches of the three-match series.
The impressive victory in the third match helped Pakistan avoid a 'whitewash'. The heroes of this match were opener Sahibzada Farhan and bowler Salman Mirza.
Litton Das Wins Toss, Pakistan Invited to Bat
In the final T20I played in Dhaka, Bangladesh captain Litton Das won the toss and opted to bowl first. Pakistan had an excellent start. The opening pair of Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub forged a blistering 82-run partnership in 47 balls for the first wicket. This partnership provided a b foundation for Pakistan.
In the 8th over, Saim Ayub was caught out off Nasum Ahmed's delivery after scoring 21 runs with the help of 2 fours and 1 six. Subsequently, Sahibzada Farhan played a sensational innings of 63 runs off 41 balls, smashing 6 fours and 5 towering sixes. Farhan's aggressive innings accelerated Pakistan's score.
Middle Order Fails to Fire
After the dismissal of the opening pair, Pakistan's middle order collapsed. Mohammad Haris was dismissed for just 5 runs, while Hasan Nawaz contributed 33, Hussain Talat 1, Mohammad Nawaz 27, and Faheem Ashraf 4. Captain Salman Ali Agha remained unbeaten on 12, while Abbas Afridi returned unbeaten on 1.
For Bangladesh, Taskin Ahmed took 3 wickets, while Nasum Ahmed claimed 2 successes. Pakistan scored 158 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs.
Bangladesh's Innings Collapses
Having already won the series, the Bangladesh team did not seem to be in rhythm at all in this match. Pakistan's bowlers put pressure from the start. Two Bangladesh batsmen failed to open their accounts, and eight batsmen could not even reach double figures. On the second ball of the match, Tanzid Hasan Tamim was dismissed without scoring. Captain Litton Das scored 8 runs and returned to the pavilion in the second over.
Subsequently, batsmen like Mehidy Hasan Miraz (10 runs), Jaker Ali (1 run), Shamim Hossain (5 runs), Mohammad Naim (10 runs), Nasum Ahmed (9 runs), Taskin Ahmed (7 runs), and Shoriful Islam (7 runs) put up a disappointing performance. Bowling tightly, Pakistan's bowlers bundled out the entire Bangladesh team for just 84 runs in 15.3 overs. Salman Mirza bowled brilliantly, taking 3 wickets. Meanwhile, Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz took 2 wickets each.
