Mirpur: Bangladesh opener Parvez Hossain Emon insisted that the home side coped with the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium better than their opponents Pakistan in the first T20 game, which they eventually won by seven wickets. Pakistan, which slumped to 45-6 by the eighth over, finally folded for 110 in 19.3 overs with most of their batters perishing to big shots.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson later criticized the Mirpur pitch, stating that it is not ideal for anybody. In contrast, Emon commented, "It didn't seem a bad pitch as we chased it down in less than 16 overs. We could have scored 150-160 runs if we batted the full 20 overs. It may be so that they couldn't adjust to the pitch. We adjusted better than them."
Emon led the chase for Bangladesh with an unbeaten 56 off 39 balls, an innings featuring three fours and five sixes. He noted, "The Mirpur pitch usually favours the bowlers. We tried to assess the wicket quickly. It was our first plan." Emon's performance made batting look easier, whereas Pakistan's batters struggled on the sluggish pitch.
When questioned about Pakistan's bowling attack, Emon remarked, "Everything seems easy when you do it well. No, they are not easier to deal with. They played a lot of international cricket and they also have many experienced bowlers."
The victory marked the end of Bangladesh's nine-year win drought against Pakistan in this format. Emon credited the confidence gained from a successful series in Sri Lanka, saying, "There was no such discussion (winning after nine years). We came from Sri Lanka after playing well. We won series there and so we were high on confidence."