Dhaka: Bangladesh squandered a chance to whitewash Pakistan in the three-match T20 series after suffering a 74-run defeat in the third game today at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The hosts won the first T20 by seven wickets and the second one by eight runs for their first ever series victory over Pakistan in this format. Having lost the final game, they eventually took the series 2-1.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Pakistan was sent into bat first and posted a respectable 178-7 with opener Shahibzada Farhan hammering a 41-ball 63 with six fours and five sixes. Bangladesh's reckless batting on a good batting pitch left them at a precarious 41-7 inside the eighth over before Mohammad Saifuddin made an unbeaten 35 to take the side past 100. However, the hosts were wrapped up for 104 in 16.4 overs, losing the game by a big margin.
Farhan and Saim Ayub gave Pakistan a solid start, unlike the first two matches, when they saw a sensational collapse and were reduced to 41-5 and 30-6 respectively. The openers put on 82 runs in just the eighth over with Farhan, who replaced Fakhar Zaman, keeping Bangladesh bowlers at bay. Farhan raised his fifty from 29 balls, pushing a fuller length delivery of off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz toward mid-on for a single.
Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, who claimed 2-22, broke through with the wicket of Ayub who made a 15-ball 21, and then dismissed Farhan who holed out to midwicket after trying for a slog-sweep six. Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed, who was erratic in his first spell, came back to dismiss Mohammad Haris and led the middle overs bowling to stifle Pakistan. Taskin, who took two wickets in the last over, finished with 3-38.
Hasan Nawaz broke the deadlock with a flurry of sixes before pacer Shoriful Islam baffled him with a slower delivery to end his 17-ball 33. Mohammad Nawaz hit 27 off 16 and led Pakistan to a strong finish before being removed by Taskin in the last over.
Bangladesh's chase never took off, with six of their top seven batters out for single-digit figures, leaving the side in danger of being all out for their lowest ever T20 total. Salman Mirza wreaked havoc on Bangladesh with 3-19 and was well supported by Faheem Ashraf who took 2-13. Saifuddin helped Bangladesh surpass their lowest score of 70 against West Indies in 2016 and eventually reached 100. Apart from Saifuddin, opener Naim Sheikh (10) was the only other player to reach double digits.