Pakistan Set 202-Run Target for Bangladesh in T20I Series Opener

The Bangladesh vs Pakistan T20I series kicked off today at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, giving Litton Das and his team a chance to bounce back from the recent UAE disappointment. After winning the toss, Pakistan opted to bat first and posted 201 runs for 7 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

All six Bangladeshi bowlers took at least one wicket, but leg-spinner Rishad Hossain proved to be the most expensive, conceding 55 runs in his four overs, including 19 in his final over.

Bangladesh started brilliantly with the ball. In the very first over, Mehidy Hasan removed Saim Ayub for a golden duck. In the next over, Shariful Islam dismissed Fakhar Zaman, who managed just 1 run. With this wicket, Shariful also reached the milestone of 50 wickets in international T20s.

Despite losing both openers early, Pakistan managed 52 runs in the powerplay. Mohammad Haris tried to rebuild with 31 runs off 18 balls (4 fours, 1 six) before getting caught by Tamim off Sakib. Then, captain Agha Salman and PSL's top run-scorer Hasan Nawaz launched a counterattack. Salman scored a career-best 56 off 29 balls before falling to Hasan Mahmud.

Hasan Nawaz, who was dropped by Parvez Emon a ball earlier, was caught by Rishad Hossain the very next delivery. He smashed 44 runs off 22 balls, including 4 sixes and 2 fours. Later, Khushdil Shah tried to accelerate but was stumped by Litton Das after scoring just 5 runs off 10 balls.

Despite the run flow, Bangladesh will take heart from the fact that all of their bowlers contributed with wickets, setting up a challenging but chaseable total.