Pakistan wins T 20 series against Bangladesh…… Asghar Ali Mubarak

Pakistan wins T 20 series against Bangladesh…..
Asghar Ali Mubarak
Pakistan clinched the three-match Twenty20 series against Bangladesh at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, winning the tournament. Pakistan’s wins have further consolidated the team’s chances of hanging on to its world number one ranking in the shortest format, which is in danger of being taken over by Australia. Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan was only finalized last month when the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) agreed to split the Twenty20 series and the two ICC World Test Championship matches in three phases after they reached a consensus with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in Dubai in a meeting facilitated by International Cricket Council chairman Shashank Manohar. After the Twenty20 series, which ends on other day, Bangladesh will return for the first Test in Rawalpindi from February 7-11. After a break of almost two months, Bangladesh will play an ODI and the second Test in Karachi from April 3-9. As part of strict security measures for the series, about 10,300 security personnel were posted at different points and roads were blocked within a two-kilometer radius of the Gaddafi Stadium. Spectators were driven to the stadium in shuttles. The tour is of significance for Pakistan, as it is another step towards efforts to assure the world that the country is safe to host international cricket. Bangladesh had initially declined to play a Test in Pakistan, proposing that the match be held on a neutral venue. The PCB, however, refused to hold the match elsewhere.
Recalled Shoaib Malik smashed a solid half-century to anchor Pakistan’s five-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first Twenty20 international in Lahore. Malik’s 45-ball 58 not out for his eighth Twenty20 fifty was instrumental as Pakistan overhauled a modest 142-run target in 19.3 over to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Bangladesh had managed 141-5 in their 20 overs with openers Mohammad Naim scoring a 41-ball 43 and Tamim Iqbal hitting a 34-ball 39 as Pakistan’s three-man pace attack kept them in check on a flat Gaddafi Stadium pitch. Lahore’s foggy weather prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to start the match at 2pm but it failed to attract more than 10,000 people in a stadium with 24,000 capacities. Bangladesh could not put up a reasonable fight as Pakistan won their first match after losing six of their last seven T20 matches with one washed out. Player of the match Malik, playing his first match since February last year, was in sublime form as he hit five boundaries and added 46 for the third wicket with debutant Ahsan Ali who made a 32-ball 36 with four boundaries. Malik, the fourth-highest run-getter in Twenty20 internationals with 2,321 in a record 112 matches, credited bowlers for the win.“Congratulations to the whole Pakistan for this win and for hosting another match,” said Malik. “It wasn’t an easy pitch and our bowlers restricted them to a gettable total.“It’s tough to be in and out of the team but I have been playing leagues and domestic cricket and that helped me stage a comeback in this match.“I am happy to help achieve this win in a chase.”But Pakistan’s chase was initially jolted when they lost world number one Twenty20 batsman Babar Azam on only the second ball into their innings, caught behind off an inside edge off fast bowler Shafiul Islam. Shafiul was the best Bangladeshi bowler with 2-27.
Mohammad Hafeez, another recalled batsman, hit three crisp boundaries and was looking in good touch before he miscued a flick and was caught off Mustafizur Rahman for 17.
Malik and Ahsan took Pakistan to 81 before Iftikhar Ahmed (16) added a further 36 for the fourth wicket but even the fall of Iftikhar and Imad Wasim (six) did not derail Pakistan.
Earlier, Bangladesh, who won the toss and opted to bat, was off to a good start as Iqbal and Naim put on 70 for the opening wicket.
Naim, fresh from his top score of 81 against India in November last year, cracked three boundaries and a six while Iqbal had four boundaries and a six but Pakistan pulled the scoring rate between 12-15 overs which yielded just 21 runs.
Iqbal was run out in the 11th over while Naim holed out off spinner Shadab Khan in the 15th. Skipper Mahmudullah hit two boundaries in his 14-ball 19 not out.
Pakistan handed Twenty20 debuts to opener Ahsan and pacer Haris Rauf.
The series was a critical one for Pakistan, who is struggling to retain their top spot in the International Cricket Council’s world T20 ranking, which they have held since 2018. Recently, Pakistan have had an unimpressive run in T20s — in October, they were whitewashed by an amateur Sri Lankan team in Lahore and lost another series to Australia a month later. Now Pakistan keeps their number one spot, which they have held since January 2018.Babar replaced Sarfraz Ahmed as Pakistan captain in the shortest format of the game following a dismal 3-0 whitewash at the hands of a second-string Sri Lanka team late last year. The team won only one out of nine completed T20s last year but Babar is hoping the team can bounce back this year. Our team is a good combination of senior and junior players.”Babar said it was a proud moment for him that he would be leading the team at his home ground during the series.“Some 13 years ago, I was at the Gaddafi Stadium as a ball-picker and tomorrow I’ll be leading the team out so it’s a moment of pride for me,” he said. With the Twenty20 World Cup slated to be held later this year, Babar dispelled the impression that the Pakistan were looking to take a young side to the tournament.“We’re not going to decide the squad for the World Cup just on the basis of this series,” he said. “But performances from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will also be taken into account do finalize the selections.” Bangladesh last toured Pakistan in 2008 and their experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim is the only notable absentee from the tour after he pulled out due to security concerns. Pakistan has won ten of the 12 Twenty20 matches between the sides.“Every match is a do-or-die for us,” Babar Azam, who replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as skipper, told a press conference. “We have planned accordingly, we have talked to the players that they should give 110 per cent since the focus is to continue the number one ranking. We can hang on to that only if we win all three matches.”
“We have been preparing well and we will try not to repeat the same mistakes that we did against Sri Lanka,” said Babar. “We played four matches during the training camp and the team has gelled well. Our team is a good combination of senior and junior players and I’m expecting a good result.”
Bangladesh, whose tour was confirmed last week, brought a strong batting line-up with the inclusion of Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Naim and Liton Das. Batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, who refused to accompany the team due to his family’s concerns, is the only notable absence.The tour is of significance for Pakistan, as it is another step towards efforts to assure the world that the country is safe to host international cricket. Bangladesh had initially declined to play a Test in Pakistan, proposing that the match be held on a neutral venue. The PCB, however, refused to hold the match elsewhere.
The hosts Pakistan comfortably chased the 137-run target set by the visiting team, who had won the toss and elected to bat first.The only hiccup in the largely one-sided contest was opener Ahsan Ali being sent back to the stands for a duck, caught by Mahmudullah Riyad off paceman Shafiul Islam in the second over. After the minor setback, ‘Professor’ Mohammad Hafeez walked in to join skipper Babar Azam. The duo, with their 131-run partnership were quickly able to rescue the match and lead the side to victory.The World number one Twenty20 batsman Babar, who was out without scoring in first match, was in a punishing mood right from the outset, hitting seven boundaries and a six in his knock. He was awarded ‘Player of the Match’.Veteran Hafeez, recalled after 14 months in the Twenty20 side, stroked nine boundaries and a six in his 11th T20 fifty. Earlier Pakistan won the first match also in Lahore by five wickets. Bangladesh innings ;Bangladesh, for their part, again failed to put up a challenging total despite opener Tamim Iqbal’s 53-ball 65, managing 136-6 in their 20 overs.The target was worse off than their unimpressive total of 141-5 on Friday as they found Pakistan bowling led by paceman Mohammad Hasnain’s 2-20 hard to get off.Opener Mohammad Naim fell off the very first ball he faced, caught behind by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan off lanky left-arm paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi who finished with 1-22.It could have been worse had Rizwan hang on to an inside edge off Iqbal’s bat off a luckless Hasnan when the batsman was 16.Iqbal took full advantage of the lapse, hitting seven boundaries and a six during his laborious knock. Bangladesh’s highest partnership was 31 for the fourth wicket as Afif Hossain knocked a six and a boundary in his 20-ball 21 before he holed out off Hasnain. Bangladesh’s Skipper Mahmudullah scored run-a-ball 12 as Bangladesh managed 48 in the last five overs. Bangladesh had replaced Mohammad Mithun with Mahedi Hasan, while the Pakistan squad remains unchanged from the first match in the series.
Squads
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Iftikhar Ahmad, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Ahsan Ali, Amad Butt, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Afridi, Muhammad Musa, Usman Qadir and Haris Rauf
Bangladesh: Mahmudullah (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Liton Das (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Mithun, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Aminul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Hasan Mahmud.