The Pakistan cricket team staged a remarkable comeback on Friday to defeat Bangladesh in the second ODI of the series. The match was held at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka and ended with a dominant win for the visitors. After a heavy defeat in the first game, Pakistan showed great character to win by 128 runs through the DLS method. This victory has now leveled the three match series at 1-1, making the final game a very exciting decider for both nations.
Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl first on a pitch that looked good for batting. Unlike the first match where they struggled, the Pakistan openers provided a brilliant start. Maaz Sadaqat was the standout performer for Pakistan as he attacked the bowlers from the very first over. He played a fearless innings and scored 75 runs from just 46 deliveries. His knock included six boundaries and five massive sixes, which put the home team under immediate pressure.
Sahibzada Farhan supported him well at the other end by playing a more steady role. He scored 31 runs from 46 balls and helped build a solid opening partnership of 103 runs. This platform allowed the middle order to play with more freedom later in the innings. However, Bangladesh found a breakthrough when Mehidy Hasan Miraz dismissed the dangerous Maaz Sadaqat. Shortly after, Sahibzada Farhan and Shamyl Hussain, who scored 6 runs, were also sent back to the pavilion.
The experienced duo of Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha then came together to rebuild the innings. They shared a very important partnership of 109 runs for the fourth wicket. Salman Agha looked in excellent touch and reached his half century with ease. He eventually scored 64 runs from 62 balls before a controversial run out ended his stay at the crease. This dismissal sparked a lot of debate among the players and fans as it seemed to change the momentum of the game.
Mohammad Rizwan played a responsible innings and contributed 44 runs from 59 deliveries. After his departure, the Pakistan lower order struggled to finish the innings strongly. Players like Hussain Talat with 9 runs and Abdul Samad with 11 runs could not stay long. Pakistan lost their final seven wickets for only 43 runs and were eventually bowled out for 274 in 47.3 overs. For Bangladesh, Rishad Hossain was the best bowler with figures of 3 for 56.
The chase for Bangladesh started in the worst possible way as the Pakistan pace attack was on fire. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi led from the front and removed the openers very early. Tanzid Hasan Tamim was dismissed for just 1 run while Saif Hassan managed to score 12 runs before falling to Mohammad Wasim Jr. The Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was also out for a 0 to a beautiful delivery from Shaheen Shah Afridi.
With the score at 27 for 3, a heavy rain and thunderstorm stopped the play for over two hours. When the match finally resumed, the target was revised to 243 runs from just 32 overs. This meant Bangladesh had to play at a very high strike rate to win the match. Litton Das tried his best to lead the counter attack by scoring 41 runs from 33 balls. He hit four boundaries and two sixes to give the local fans some hope.
Towhid Hridoy also provided some resistance in the middle order by scoring 28 runs from 38 balls. The two batters added 58 runs together, but they could not keep up with the rising required run rate. The turning point came when Maaz Sadaqat showed his skills with the ball. He dismissed Litton Das with a clever delivery and then ran through the middle order. Maaz Sadaqat finished with amazing bowling figures of 3 for 23.
The Bangladesh batting lineup collapsed quickly after the partnership was broken. Afif Hossain scored 14 runs before being caught by Salman Agha. The captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz could only manage 1 run while Rishad Hossain was out for 2. The pressure of the big target was clearly visible as the batters kept losing their wickets while trying to hit big shots against the accurate Pakistan bowling.
Haris Rauf also made a big impact with his raw pace in the final stages of the match. He took three quick wickets to wrap up the tail of the Bangladesh innings. He dismissed Mustafizur Rahman for 4 runs and finally took the wicket of Taskin Ahmed who scored 5. Bangladesh was eventually bowled out for 114 runs in 23.3 overs. This was coincidentally the same score that Pakistan had made in their defeat in the first ODI.
The young Maaz Sadaqat was rightly named the Player of the Match for his incredible all round performance. His contribution with both the bat and the ball was the main reason for Pakistan's dominant victory. The team management will be very happy with how the youngsters responded after the pressure of the first game. The win has given Pakistan a lot of confidence heading into the final match of the tour.
The final ODI will now act as a series decider at the same venue. Both teams will be looking to fix their batting collapses before the big game. While Pakistan will want to carry this momentum forward, Bangladesh will be eager to use their home conditions to win the series. The fans in Dhaka are expecting a high quality contest between two very competitive sides.