A thrilling 11-run victory against Pakistan helped Bangladesh seal the 3-match ODI series 2-1 on Sunday (March 15).
The series-deciding clash at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, saw Bangladeshi openers make a solid start.
Tanzid Hasan Tamim’s maiden ODI century, a run-a-ball 107, steered Bangladesh to a total of 290 for the loss of 5 wickets. Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy anchored the team’s innings in the middle order, although the duo of batters struggled to maintain the tempo in the death overs.
Salman Agha’s 106-run knock, unfortunately, was overshadowed in a losing cause for Pakistan in a high-pressure run chase.
Bangladesh now remains in the hunt to secure a direct qualification into the ODI World Cup 2027 after moving up in the ICC men’s ODI rankings.
Tanzid Hasan Tamim’s Maiden International Century
Since debut of Tanzid Hasan in white-ball cricket in 2023, this was indeed his first-ever international ton across ODIs and T20Is.
His 107-run knock off 107 balls (including 6 fours and 7 sixes) converted Bangladesh’s start into a high total.
Tanzid’s 105-run opening partnership with Saif Hassan (36 runs) and another 53-run stand with Najmul Hossain Shanto (27 runs) for the 3rd wicket proved his hunger to score big runs against Pakistan’s formidable bowling attack.
Bangladeshis Intentions Clear While Batting First
After losing the toss, Bangladesh exhibited their intent to accumulate runs in the power play by smashing maximum boundaries.
Pakistan’s early exhaustion of a review turned out to be an added advantage for the hosts. As soon as the fielding restrictions were lifted, Bangladesh accelerated their innings in the 11th and 12th overs, scoring 11 and 15 runs, respectively.
Litton and Towhid Kept Bangladesh Scoreboard Ticking
The middle-order batters Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy, despite their struggles to maintain the well-set tempo, managed to stitch a 68-run stand by running hard between the wickets.
Following Tanzim Hasan Tamim’s dismissal in the 37th over, Bangladesh at 194/3 were in a comfortable position to set a massive target above 300 or 350.
The visiting bowlers Haris Rauf (3/52 in 10 overs), Shaheen Afridi (1/55 in 10 overs), and Abrar Ahmed (1/49 in 10 overs) controlled the flow of runs.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s side struggled to maintain their momentum against spinners as batters rarely managed to clear the boundary ropes. Mainly, the excessive wear of the ball offered spinners the much-needed grip to restrict Bangladesh below 300+ total, which seemed realistic at one stage.
Litton’s 41 runs off 51 balls (including 1 four and 1 six) and Hridoy’s 48 runs off 44 balls (including 4 fours) steered Bangladesh to set a 291-run target against Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Wrong Start To A Tricky Run Chase
Having lost three wickets in the first three overs of the power play, Pakistan’s struggle against the opponent’s pace bowling attack was clearly evident.
The early dismissal of Sahibzada Farhan (6 runs) was a big blow to the men in green. Furthermore, Maaz Sadaqat (6 runs) and Mohammad Rizwan (4 runs) left Pakistan struggling at 17/3 in 3 overs.
Ghazi Ghori (29 runs) and Abdul Samad (34 runs) shared a 50-run partnership to revive their team’s innings. But the duo’s half-century run stand couldn’t sustain longer and came to an end after Ghori’s dismissal in the 14th over.
Salman Agha’s 3rd ODI Ton in Vain
Despite Pakistan’s poor start to the run chase, Salman Agha’s 106-run knock off 98 balls (including 9 fours and 4 sixes) kept his team’s hopes alive of clinching the series.
The situation worsened when Pakistan lost half of its batting line-up at 82/5 in 17.4 overs. This was one such crunch moment when Agha played a crucial role and stitched a 79-run stand with Saan Masood (38 runs) and another 52-run partnership with Shaheen Afridi (37 runs).
Agha’s dismissal in the 48th over turned the fortunes in Bangladesh’s favor to script a sensational series win.
Bangladeshi Bowlers: The Unsung Heroes
While the batting line-up received praises, the Bangladeshi bowlers were the real game-changers against Pakistan while defending a target below 300.
Taskin Ahmed (4/49 in 10 overs) spearheaded the pace bowling attack alongside Mustafizur Rahman (3/54 in 10 overs) and Nahid Rana (2/62 in 10 overs).
Rishad Hossain (1/56 in 7 overs) was the only wicket-taker in Bangladesh’s spin bowling department, having dismissed the Pakistani skipper Shaheen Afridi in the last over.
Bangladesh Standings in ICC Men’s ODI Rankings After 2-1 Win vs Pakistan
With this win, Bangladesh surged to the ninth position in the ICC men’s ODI rankings, surpassing the West Indies.
Ahead of the 3-match ODI series against Pakistan, the difference between Bangladesh and the West Indies was small, with one rating point that differentiated their rankings.
However, a 2-1 win has now pushed Mehidy Hasan’s team to ninth place with 79 rating points, while West Indies have been demoted to the 10th spot with 77 points.
Pakistan, on the other hand, still retains its fourth position even after losing the series, but its rating points have taken a slight dip from 105 to 102.
Overall, this improvement in rankings has been extremely important for Bangladesh to ensure a top-eight finish in the rankings by March 31, 2027, to ensure direct qualification to the forthcoming ODI World Cup.