BAN vs PAK 2025: Visitors lose half their side within eight overs of series opener

Published - 20 Jul 2025, 19:36 IST | Updated - 20 Jul 2025, 19:59 IST

Hosts Bangladesh hit the ground running in the first T20I of the ongoing three-match series against Pakistan at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. Having been asked to bat first, the Salman Ali Agha-led side was put under the pump in the first-half of the innings, as a total of five wickets fell within the first eight overs itself.

By the end of the powerplay, the scoreboard read 41 for the loss of four wickets. Skipper Salman (3 off 9 balls) was the third batter to depart. Hasan Nawaz departed for a four-ball duck after he tried swinging his bat wildly off a hard length ball from over-the-wicket by Mustafizur Rahman. The captain's dismissal meant that things meant from bad to worse for the visitors.

Fakhar Zaman looked the most comfortable batter, but he too, fell for 26 just as the Men in Green thought they had some resistance to offer. The fifth wicket to fall was that of Mohammad Nawaz, who was run-out by a combined effort from Litton Das and Mahedi Hasan.

Fakhar was all set to get to his 12th T20I half-century. However, he was left stranded in the middle of the pitch by Khushdil Shah while attempting a second run. This, in turn, led to his downfall. The left-handed top-order batter departed for 44 off 34.

Agha & Co. ended their innings in 19.3 overs after being bowled out for 110. While Taskin Ahmed finished with a three-wicket haul (3/22 in 3.3 overs), Mustafizur was the pick of the bowlers. He bowled a staggering 18 dot deliveries in his four-over spell, conceding only six runs, also picking up a couple of wickets in the process. Five of the six bowlers employed ended up bowling at least 10 dot balls each.

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At the time of writing, the hosts have already scored 36 runs, while losing two wickets after 5.2 overs. They require 75 more runs to win from 87 balls, as Towhid Hridoy and Parvez Hossain Emon are still in the middle in pursuit to gain a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.