In the third and decisive One-Day International played in Dhaka, the Bangladesh national cricket team defeated the Pakistan national cricket team by 11 runs in a thrilling contest to clinch the three-match series 2–1. Chasing a target of 291, Pakistan were bowled out for 279.
The match was played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, where Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi won the toss and opted to field first.
Batting first, Bangladesh posted 290 runs for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 50 overs, setting Pakistan a target of 291 for victory.
For Bangladesh, Tanzid Hasan delivered an outstanding performance with the bat, scoring 107 runs to emerge as his team’s top scorer. Litton Das contributed 41 runs, while Saif Hassan added 36 and Najmul Hossain Shanto made 27. Towhid Hridoy also played a crucial role with an unbeaten 44, helping Bangladesh reach a strong total.
For Pakistan, Haris Rauf was the standout bowler, taking three wickets, while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed claimed one wicket each.
In response, Pakistan made a steady start but failed to maintain the required scoring rate, with several batters unable to convert promising starts into substantial innings.
During the chase, Salman Ali Agha produced a responsible batting display and scored a century in an effort to guide Pakistan to victory. However, despite his impressive innings, Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 279 and fell short of the target.
Pakistan made several changes to their squad for the match. Captain Shaheen Afridi stated that Shumail Hussain and Hussain Talat were unavailable due to injury, leading to the inclusion of two debutants, Ghazi Ghori and Saad Masood.
The debutants were presented with their caps by Haris Rauf, who handed the cap to Saad Masood, while Mohammad Rizwan presented the cap to Ghazi Ghori.
Pakistan’s playing XI for the match included Sahibzada Farhan, Moaz Sadaqat, Ghazi Ghori, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Abdul Samad, Saad Masood, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Abrar Ahmed.
It is worth noting that both teams had won one match each in the three-match series, making the third game the decisive encounter. Bangladesh won the first ODI by eight wickets, while Pakistan levelled the series with a commanding 128-run victory in the second match. However, Bangladesh emerged victorious in the final match to secure the series.
