LAHORE: Sahibzada Farhan looked keen on making up for lost time. Almost six months since he last represented Pakistan, the flamboyant opener sparkled with a career-best 74 as hosts trounced a hapless Bangladesh by 57 runs in the second Twenty20 International at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday to seal the three-match series with a game to spare.

With Sahibzada in full flow — having returned to the national team fold after an impressive show in the Pakistan Super League — and Hasan Nawaz making a quickfire 51 not out, Pakistan amassed 201-6 after electing to bat.

The bowlers then came to the fore as Bangladesh lost their way after a bright start; spinner Abrar Ahmed being the destroyer-in-chief with 3-19 as Pakistan bundled them out for 144 with only Tanzim Hasan Sakib (50) offering some late resistance.

It was Pakistan’s first series victory since they beat Zimbabwe in December last year. Sahibzada’s poor return in that series had seen him fall out of national reckoning, but on his return, he set the tone for Pakistan.

Sahibzada, who replaced Fakhar Zaman in the playing eleven, had a nervy start, almost getting caught on the third ball he faced but on the next ball he faced, he slammed Mehidy Hasan Miraz for four through extra cover.

Fellow opener Saim Ayub, though, departed early; the left-hander losing his footing as he was sent back by Sahibzada while looking for a third run on the last ball of the second over that was completed by spinner Shamim Hossain after pacer Shoriful Islam got injured.

The dismissal didn’t stop Sahibzada though and Mehidy was slog-swept for consecutive sixes in the next over. Hasan Mahmud was then hit for back-to-back fours down the ground with the incoming Mohammad Haris coming to the party with a thumping six over midwicket on the fifth ball of the fourth over.

Sahibzada was proving unstoppable; a six over mid-wicket followed over Tanzim. Haris was also in the mood; hitting Hasan for three successive boundaries — thorugh fine leg, midwicket and cover — as Pakistan ended the powerplay at 67-1.

Lady luck was smiling on Pakistan too with Farhan seeing an edge fly past the keeper for four off Shamim. Sahibzada got to his maiden T20 International half-century off 29 deliveries in the ninth over before Haris ended a 13-ball boundary drought with a scoop for six off Shamim.

Sahibzada then got another life — Mehdiy dropping him — and celebrated it by depositing Rishad Hossain for back-to-back sixes; first down the ground and the next over square leg with Pakistan reaching the midway point of their innings at 107-1.

Haris scooped Tanzim for four on the first ball of the 11th over but was gone by the end of it, finding Rishad at backward point after making 41 off 27. Sahibzada soon followed, caught behind off Rishad having hit the previous ball for the sixth six of his 41-ball stay as Pakistan slipped from 115-1 to 121-3.

Skipper Salman Ali Agha, though, kept the momentum going, dispatching the first two balls he faced for fours. Hasan also didn’t take long to get going; a six over extra cover off Mehidy followed by a four and six off Rishad.

Salman got his third boundary off Hasan but was gone next ball after a 12-ball 19 as he was trapped lbw trying to sweep, offering Bangladesh a chance to rein in Pakistan.

Mehidy then gave away just six runs in the 17th over and Tanzim seemed primed to do the same in the next until Hasan slashed him away for four off the last ball. Big hits were getting scarcer and Shadab Khan fell attempting one off Hasan Mahmud (2-47) on the last ball of the 19th.

But Hasan freed his arms in the last over, pulling Tanzim (2-36) for six and then raising his half-century of just 25 balls before Faheem Ashraf fell on the final ball of the innings.

Tanzid Hasan (33) got Bangladesh’s chase off to a flier, hitting back-to-back fours off spinner Salman and a six over extra cover; the first over yielding 17. Two more boundaries came off the next over by Hasan Ali.

Pervaiz Hossain Emon at the other end was having the best view of Tanzid’s charge as Faheem Ashraf was slashed for four to begin the third over. But Pervaiz perished in an attempt to emulate his partner, getting caught at long-on as he tried to go big off Haris Rauf and Tanzid was sent back by Faheem soon after, snapped by Abrar at short-fine leg.

Bangladesh were coming off the rails and Hasan sent back Litton Das — Haris diving at mid-on to take a sharp catch, before Abrar (3-19) had Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali lbw off consecutive balls in the seventh over; the visitors losing five wickets in the space of 18 deliveries.

Shamim denied Abrar a hat-trick by cutting him away for four but he fell in the spinner’s next over, pouched in the deep by Saim. Leg-spinner Shadab then had Rishad caught behind as Pakistan continued to chip away.

Mehidy, who had come in at number five, kept Pakistan at bay and Tanzim smashed consecutive sixes off Haris to help his side cross the 100-run mark. But the writing was on the wall for them when Khushdil sent back Mehidy (23).

Tanzim, though, kept delaying the inevitable — depositing Khushdil for consecutive sixes. He then hit Saim for his fifth maximum on the first ball of the 19th over, completing his century three balls later before getting caught behind to bring down the curtains for his side.

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN:

Sahibzada Farhan c Litton b Rishad 74

Saim Ayub run out (Towhid) 4

Mohammad Haris c Rishad b Tanzim 41

Hasan Nawaz not out 51

Salman Ali Agha lbw b Hasan 19

Shadab Khan c sub (Najmul) b Hasan 7

Faheem Ashraf c Towhid b Tanzim 1

EXTRAS (W-4) 4

TOTAL (for six wickets, 20 overs) 201

DID NOT BAT: Khushdil Shah, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-12 (Saim), 2-115 (Haris), 3-121 (Farhan), 4-166 (Salman), 5-190 (Shadab), 6-201 (Faheem)

BOWLING: Mehidy 4-0-38-0 (1w), Shoriful 0.3-0-2-0, Shamim 3.3-0-28-0, Hasan 4-0-47-2 (1w), Tanzim 4-0-36-2, Rishad 4-0-50-1 (2w)

BANGLADESH:

Tanzid Hasan c Abrar b Faheem 33

Parvez Hossain c Hasan b Haris 8

Litton Das c Haris b Hasan 6

Towhid Hridoy lbw b Abrar 5

Mehidy Hasan c Haris b Khushdil 23

Jaker Ali lbw b Abrar 0

Shamim Hossain c Saim b Abrar 7

Rishad Hossain c M. Haris b Shadab 1

Tanzim Hasan c M. Haris b Saim 50

Hasan Mahmud not out 8

Shoriful Islam absent hurt

EXTRAS (LB-1, NB-2) 3

TOTAL (for nine wickets, 20 overs) 144

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-44 (Parvez), 2-46 (Tanzid), 3-54 (Litton), 4-56 (Towhid), 5-56 (Jaker), 6-70 (Shamim), 7-77 (Rishad), 8-110 (Mehidy), 9-144 (Tanzim)

BOWLING: Salman 2-0-20-0, Hasan 2-0-21- 1 (2nb), Faheem 2-0-8-1, Haris 2-0-23-1, Abrar 4-0-19-3, Shadab 2-0-13-1, Khushdil 3-0-25-1, Saim 2-0-14-1

RESULT: Pakistan won by 57 runs.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Sahibzada Farhan

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2025