Pakistan cruise to 9-wicket win over Bangladesh

Staff Reporter: Bangladesh defeated by nine wicket to Pakistan in the second match which helped the host to gain unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Twenty20 international series in Lahore on Saturday.
Fifties from Mohammad Hafeez and Babar Azam guided Pakistan to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second match and helped them take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Twenty20 international series in Lahore on Saturday.
Hafeez struck unbeaten 67 off 49 balls while Azam made 66 off 44 not out as the hosts raced towards 137-1 in 16.4 overs after restricting Bangladesh to 136-6 in their stipulated overs.
Both Hafeez and Azam put an unbeaten 131-run stand for the second wicket, highest partnership record in the second wicket in a Bangladesh versus Pakistan match after pacer Shafiul Islam removed Ahsan Ali for a duck for Bangladesh’s only success in the innings.
Opener Tamim Iqbal earlier made highest 65 off 53 balls with seven fours and a six but rest of Bangladeshi batsmen failed to support him well as the visitors had to remain content with the lowest ever total at the venue while batting first.
Afif Hossain and Mahmudullah were the only other batsmen to reach double-digit as they made 21 and 12 runs respectively.
Opting to bat first, Bangladesh lost Mohammad Naim, Mahedi Hasan and Liton Das cheaply to be reduced to 41-3 in the eighth over.
Bangladesh lost Naim in the second over in their innings when he was edged to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan of Shaheen Afridi for a golden duck.
Mahedi, who was playing only his second Twenty20 international, first since 2018, could not do much with bat as he was top-edged to Rizwan of Mohammad Hasnain after making nine runs.
Liton followed him soon with leg-spinner Shadab Khan trapping him leg-before for eight.
Tamim and Afif tried to rebuild the innings by adding a 45-run stand for the fourth wicket before Afif became Hasnain’s second victim in the contest.
Tamim, who completed his fifty off 44 balls, was looked to guide Bangladesh to a challenging total when he smashed Shadab for three boundaries in the 16th over.
Tamim was run-out by a direct-through of Imad Wasim which halt Bangladesh’s progress as they could only 19 runs in the remaining 14 deliveries.
Pakistani bowlers were played as very wise like in the first game with Hasnain finishing with 2-20 while Shaheen, Haris and Shadab, every one was taken one wicket.