Pakistan clinch low-scoring thriller to take series lead

Pakistan 132 for 6 (Khushdil 34, Fakhar 34, Taskin 2-31) beat Bangladesh 127 for 7 (Afif 36, Mahedi 30, Hasan 3-22, Wasim 2-24) by four wickets

Dhaka: Pushed against the wall, Pakistan held their nerve to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series against Bangladesh in Mirpur.

Chasing 128 for the win, Pakistan were in a spot of bother at 24/4 inside the Powerplay. Fakhar Zaman and Khushdil Shah steadied the ship with a 56-run stand.

Despite a valiant effort from the Bangladesh bowlers, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz eventually finished the game off in style with a stunning 36-run partnership off just 15 balls.

Earlier, Bangladesh too struggled but Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan and Mahedi Hasan helped them post a respectable total on the board.

Bangladesh's decision to bat first after winning the toss didn't go to plan. In hot and sunny conditions, Pakistan pacers made full use of whatever little movement was on offer with the new ball.

Mohammad Naim was the first to make the long walk back, chasing a delivery wide outside off and nicking it to Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps.

In the very next over, Mohammad Wasim found some movement off the seam and induced an outside edge off debutant Saif Hassan's bat. Fakhar Zaman made no mistake at first slip as Bangladesh lost their openers.

Najmul Hossain Shanto's stay at the crease didn't last long either, as Wasim forced a rash shot and completed a good catch going backwards off his own bowling.

It wasn't until the fifth over of the innings that Bangladesh got their first boundary. Afif Hossain found the ropes twice in two overs to give some sort of momentum to the innings but the Tigers lost a wicket at the worst possible time when they lost their skipper to a peach of a delivery from Mohammad Nawaz.

Bangladesh needed early wicket to make a game of a low target and they got as many as four inside the Powerplay.

Mustafizur Rahman sent Rizwan's stump cartwheeling in the third over. Babar Azam got a reprieve when Bangladesh failed to hear the nick off his bat but couldn't make most of the lifeline as he played on three balls later.

With runs hard to come by, Haider Ali tried to slog sweep Mahedi Hasan but was trapped plumb in front of the stumps.

Shoaib Malik was run-out off the last ball of the Powerplay in bizarre fashion - trying to guide the ball to third, but couldn't get it past the keeper. Out of the crease, Malik was casual in trying to return to the crease. Nurul Hasan hit the stumps directly and the replays showed Malik's bat was still in the air.

Bangladesh continued to turn the screws in the next few overs as Pakistan limped to 40/4 at the halfway stage of the innings, the exact score the Tigers found themselves at the end of 10 overs.