Mirpur, July 20, 2025: Bangladesh clinched a convincing seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Sunday, courtesy of a match-winning half-century from Parvez Hossain Emon.
Chasing a modest target of 111, the hosts were rattled early by debutant Salman Mirza, who struck twice in his opening spell. He removed Tanzid Hasan for 1 in the first over and followed it up with the wicket of Bangladesh skipper Litton Das—also for 1—in his second, reducing the hosts to a precarious 7-2 in 2.2 overs.
However, a steady 73-run third-wicket partnership between Emon and Towhid Hridoy put Bangladesh back in control. Hridoy contributed a patient 36 off 37 balls before falling to Abbas Afridi with the score at 80-3 in the 13th over.
Unfazed by the early collapse, Parvez Hossain Emon anchored the innings brilliantly. The left-hander brought up his second T20I fifty and stayed unbeaten on 56, guiding Bangladesh to 113-3 in 15.3 overs. Jaker Ali added a quick 15 off 10 balls to seal the win and give Bangladesh a 1-0 lead in the series.
Salman Mirza was Pakistan’s standout performer, finishing with figures of 2/23 from 3.3 overs on debut, while Abbas Afridi took 1/21.
Earlier, Pakistan opted to bat first and started with some intent as openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub found early boundaries. But the momentum quickly dissipated.
Saim Ayub was dismissed for 6 by Taskin Ahmed in the second over, and Mohammad Haris followed suit after hitting a boundary off Mahedi Hasan, only to be bowled on the very next delivery.
Captain Agha Salman failed to stabilize the innings and was dismissed by Tanzim Hasan Sakib for just 3. The collapse continued as Mustafizur Rahman sent back debutant Hassan Nawaz for a duck, leaving Pakistan at 41-4.
A mix-up led to Mohammad Nawaz’s run-out, deepening Pakistan’s troubles at 46-5. Fakhar Zaman offered some resistance with a composed 44 off 34 balls but was also run out following a miscommunication with Khushdil Shah, as Pakistan slipped to 70-6.
Abbas Afridi provided some late fireworks, hammering three sixes in a quick 22, while Khushdil added 17 before falling to Mustafizur. The duo’s 33-run stand was the only highlight in the lower order.
Taskin Ahmed returned to clean up the tail, finishing with impressive figures of 3/22. Mustafizur Rahman was equally effective, taking 2/6 in three overs. Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 110 in 19.5 overs—their lowest-ever T20I total against Bangladesh.
The second T20I will be played at the same venue on Tuesday, with Pakistan aiming to bounce back and level the series.
