Bangladesh taste first Twenty20 victory against Pakistan

After ODIs, Bangladesh went bang, bang before a delirious crowd in Mirpur to break their jinx against Pakistan in the Twenty20 Internationals on Friday.

The Tigers toyed with the 2009 World T20 champions on way to a incredible 7-wicket win at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

The timid performance by the likes of ‘Boom Boom’ Shahid Afridi should trigger a fresh round of talk of Pakistan cricket in crisis at a time when the nation is nursing ODI wounds.

So dominant was the victory that when Shakib Al Hasan hit the winning runs, they still had 22 balls to play with.

After Pakistan sent the hosts to field, Bangladesh bowlers never allowed the batsmen to cut loose.

Debutant Mustafizur Rahman shone with 2 for 20 to help restrict them to 141 for 5 in 20 overs in front of a capacity crowd in Mirpur.

Shakib (57 off 41) and Sabbir Rahman (51 off 32) then let the fireworks begin to cap another impeccable all-round show by the Tigers.

Sabbir stroked to his maiden T20I half-century off 31 balls while Shakib scored his fifth off 40 balls in consecutive deliveries in the 16th over.

In the next over, Shakib made room and hit Saeed Ajmal inside out to seal Bangladesh’s first win after seven attempts against the opposition.

Earlier, Bangladesh bowlers shackled the Pakistan openers with some clever bowling.

The visitors failed to score off 49 balls in their innings as they spluttered to just in excess of seven runs an over.

Debutant opener Mukhtar Ahmed topscored with 37 but Ahmed Shehzad (17 off 31 balls) struggled at the top of the order with his timing.

They put up only 7 runs on the board in the first three overs.

Mukhtar got a reprieve on 16 when he charged down the track and Mushfiqur Rahim failed to collect cleanly after Shakib got one through.

Captain Afridi pushed himself at number three and made 12 from nine balls.

But the dangerman was given out, caught behind, though TV replays showed he made no contact.

It was Mustafizur Rahman’s maiden international wicket.

Haris Sohail (30 not out) and Mohammad Hafeez (26) combined for 49 runs to give the innings some momentum with a few big shots towards the end.

Mustafizur impressed on his debut sending Hafeez back, plumb in the front, for his second.

Shakib also bowled with guile to go for just 17 in his four overs.

Tamim Iqbal, fresh off two centuries in the one-day series, immediately took the attack to Pakistani bowlers.

He hit Hafeez for two fours and a six from the opening four balls of Bangladesh’s reply.

Debutant Soumya Sarkar was run out, without facing a ball, off the fifth ball, and Tamim failed to add to his 14 as he was caught by Hafeez off Umar Gul.

Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim (19) tried to consolidate before Rahim fell in the sixth over to leave the one 38 for 3.

Sabbir and Shakib kept hitting Saeed Ajmal, Afridi and Wahab Riaz for boundaries every over to put the Pakistanis under huge pressure.

Their 105-run partnership saw the team home without any hiccups.