Bangladesh clinched their first-ever bilateral T20I series victory over Pakistan in thrilling fashion, defeating the visitors by 8 runs in the second T20I at Mirpur.
After a late fightback by Pakistan, captain Litton Das dedicated the emotional win to the victims of the recent Bangladesh Air Force jet crash.
Despite a strong start, Bangladesh`s batting faltered early, losing four wickets in the powerplay for just 29 runs.
However, a resilient partnership between Zakir Ali Anik and Sheikh Mehedi Hasan helped the hosts post a competitive total of 133 runs in 20 overs.
Zakir led the charge with a composed 55 off 48 balls, hitting 5 sixes and a boundary, while Mehedi contributed 33 off 25 deliveries.
Chasing 134, Pakistan found themselves in deep trouble early, collapsing to 15 for 5 within the first five overs thanks to fiery spells from Shoriful Islam and Rishad Hossain.
None of Pakistan’s top six batters managed to reach double figures. However, all-rounder Faheem Ashraf led a valiant lower-order resistance, scoring a blistering 51 off 32 balls, including four boundaries and four sixes.
The match swung dramatically in the final overs. Faheem’s counterattack brought Pakistan back into the game, but he was bowled by leg-spinner Rishad Hossain in the penultimate over, shifting the momentum back to Bangladesh.
In the final over, with Pakistan needing 13 runs and just one wicket in hand, Mustafizur Rahman was handed the ball. Ahmed Daniyal hit a boundary off the first ball, followed by an attempted six on the second, only to be caught at the boundary by Shamim Hossain — sealing a 2–0 series win for Bangladesh.
Shoriful Islam led the bowling attack with 3 wickets, while Shakib and Mehedi claimed 2 each. For Pakistan, Faheem’s explosive knock stood out, with support from Abbas Afridi (19 off 13) and Ahmed Daniyal (17 off 11).
Earlier in Bangladesh’s innings, early wickets fell rapidly, with Naim Sheikh (3), Litton Das (8), Parvez Hossain Emon (13), and Towhid Hridoy (0) all dismissed within the first six overs. Zakir and Mehedi rebuilt the innings before a late flourish by Zakir took the team past 130. Pakistan’s bowlers shared the spoils, with Daniyal, Abbas, and Salman Mirza picking up two wickets each.
This series win marks Bangladesh’s ninth overall T20I series victory against a Test-playing nation and their first ever over Pakistan. Following the match, skipper Litton Das paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the tragic Air Force crash the previous day, dedicating the historic win to them.
