Bangladesh A stumbled to a 79-run defeat against Pakistan Shaheens in the opening match of the Top End T20 Series in Darwin on 14 August.
Winning the toss, Pakistan Shaheens elected to bat first and produced a blistering start through openers Khawaja Nafay and Yasir Khan. The pair dominated the Bangladeshi attack, adding 118 runs for the first wicket. Nafay scored 61 off 31 balls before being run out, while Yasir made 62 from 40 deliveries before falling to Mahfuzur Rahman Rabbi.
The momentum continued as Abdul Samad entered at number three and attacked from the outset. He reached his fifty and remained unbeaten on 56 from 27 balls. Muhammad Faizan added 18 from 10 deliveries, and Irfan Khan struck 25 off 12. Pakistan finished on 227 for four in their 20 overs. Rakibul Hasan, Hasan Mahmud and Rabbi took one wicket each for Bangladesh.
Chasing the huge target, Bangladesh A suffered an early setback when Naim Sheikh fell for 5 in the second over. Saif Hassan and Jisan Alam counter-attacked during the powerplay, lifting the score to 74 for one after six overs. Jisan departed for 33 off 17 balls, while Saif went on to complete his fifty before being dismissed for 57 from 32 deliveries.
Afif Hossain Dhruvo contributed just 6, and despite a fighting 22 off 16 balls from captain Nurul Hasan Sohan, Bangladesh collapsed rapidly. They were bowled out for 148 in 16.5 overs.
For Pakistan, Chaudhry Saad Masood and Faisal Akram claimed three wickets each, Mohammad Wasim took two, and Maj Ahmed Sadaqat and Ubaid Shah picked up one apiece.
This result gave Pakistan Shaheens a dominant start to the Top End T20 Series, leaving Bangladesh A with work to do in the remaining matches.