Pacer Nahid Rana showcased an impressive performance by taking his first-ever five-wicket haul as Bangladesh bowled out Pakistan for a mere 114 runs in the inaugural ODI of the three-game series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday.
In his debut ODI match on home ground following five previous appearances overseas, Rana achieved figures of 5-24, dismantling Pakistan’s batting lineup with aggressive pace after Bangladesh chose to field first.
Pakistan had a solid start with a 41-run opening partnership between Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat, two of the four debutants in the game, before Rana initiated a sudden collapse.
The breakthrough came on the final ball of the first Powerplay as Farhan (27) was caught at point by Afif Hossain off Rana’s delivery. Another debutant, Shamyl Hussain, fell to Rana after miscuing a short ball to wicketkeeper Litton Das for four. Hussain had survived an earlier drop chance by Tanzid Hasan Tamim at long-on.
Sadaqat was dismissed for 18, followed by Rana claiming the wickets of Mohammad Rizwan (10) and Salman Ali Agha (5) in quick succession, completing his first ODI five-for. He became the second Bangladeshi bowler to achieve this feat against Pakistan in ODIs, following Mustafizur Rahman in the 2019 World Cup.
Previously, the 23-year-old had featured in five ODIs, with his most recent outing against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi in October where he also took five wickets.
Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz (3-29) further tightened Bangladesh’s hold on the game by dismissing debutant Abdul Samad (0), Hussain Talat (4), and Shaheen Shah Afridi (4) in rapid succession. Taskin Ahmed added to Pakistan’s woes by dismissing Mohammad Wasim Jr (0), as they struggled at 82 for nine, heading towards a sub-100 total.
Nevertheless, Faheem Ashraf’s resilient 37 off 47 deliveries helped Pakistan surpass the 100-run mark before being bowled out by Mustafizur Rahman in the 31st over.
Pakistan’s total of 114 is their lowest against Bangladesh in ODIs, surpassing the previous record of 161 set in Northampton during the 1999 ICC World Cup.
