Bangladesh seamer Nahid Rana's fifer restricts Pakistan to 114 runs in 1st ODI
Dhaka, March 11
Bangladesh speedster Nahid Rana displayed his bowling prowess in Dhaka's Shere Bangla Stadium on Wednesday and helped his side bowl out Pakistan for 114 runs in the opening fixture of a three-match ODI bilateral series.
The 23-year-old seamer took his ODI career's first five-wicket haul.
Opting to bowl first, the Mehidy Hasan Miraz-led side opened the bowling attack with Taskin Ahmed. Pakistan's innings started with debutants in the format, Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat.
The opening duo added 41 runs before Nahid Rana got rid of Farhan in the 10th over. The highest run-scorer of the recently concluded T20 World Cup, Farhan, made 27 runs off 38 balls with the help of four boundaries in his maiden ODI match.
Another debutant, Shamyl Hussain, joined Sadaqat at the crease, and the pressure was evident on both batters. Rana used that for his use and dismissed Hussain in his next over. He made just four runs without any boundaries.
He dismissed Sadaqat in the 14th over when he holed out to Saif Hassan after making 18 runs off 28 balls.
Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha could add just nine runs together before Rana got Rizwan caught behind at the score of 10 runs.
Salman Agha lost his wicket in Nahid's next over as the young pacer completed his fifer inside the team's 18 overs.
Wickets kept falling from one end, but Faheem Ashraf kept hitting boundaries from the other end.
Another debutant, Abdul Samad, lost his wicket cheaply. He couldn't add any runs to the tally. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi hit a boundary, but Mehidy Hasan Miraz dismissed him with an LBW.
Taskin Ahmed got rid of Mohammad Wasim Jr (0), and Mustafizur Rahman got the last wicket of Ashraf to dismiss the visitors at a paltry score of 114 runs. Ashraf added 32 runs for the 10th wicket with Abrar Ahmed, which helped Pakistan cross the 100-run mark.
Miraz took three wickets, but it was Nahid Rana who dismantled the Pakistani batting lineup completely.
Now, Bangladesh need 115 runs to win this match and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Pakistan's batting lineup seems to be in a real transition phase. So many debutants in one match, and it showed. Rana exploited the pressure perfectly. Bangladesh should chase this down easily unless there's a dramatic collapse.
As an Indian fan, it's always interesting to watch our neighbors play. Bangladesh producing a genuine pace threat is great for Asian cricket. Hope Rana keeps developing. The more competition, the better for the sport in the region! 🏏
While Rana's bowling was brilliant, I feel the article glosses over Pakistan's poor team selection. Fielding so many debutants in a key ODI seems like a big gamble that didn't pay off. The management needs to find a better balance between experimenting and putting out a competitive side.
Faheem Ashraf showed some fight at the end. 32 runs in a 10th wicket partnership when the top order collapsed... that's the spirit needed. But overall, a very disappointing show from Pakistan. Bangladesh totally dominated from the first over.
First ODI fifer for the young man! That's how you announce yourself on the international stage. The pressure was on after they chose to bowl, and he delivered. Congrats to Bangladesh. The Shere Bangla Stadium is becoming a real fortress for them.
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