Parvez Hossain Emon starred with a match-winning half-century as Bangladesh crushed Pakistan by seven wickets in the opening T20I of the three-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The left-hander reached his second T20I fifty with a six which came after scoring ducks in the last two matches in Sri Lanka,, guiding the hosts to a comfortable victory with 27 balls to spare.
Previously, Bangladesh won against Pakistan in a series and the 2016 Asia Cup, both held in Mirpur in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Besides, Bangladesh won bronze at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games by defeating Pakistan.
Chasing a modest target of 111, Bangladesh lost openers Tanzid Hasan and captain Litton Das early, both falling to debutant pacer Salman Mirza within the first three overs. The score read 14 for 2 when Towhid Hridoy joined Parvez at the crease, and the pair proceeded to rebuild calmly and then counterattack aggressively.
The duo added 73 runs for the third wicket, a record for Bangladesh in T20Is for the third wicket after losing two wickets within the first 10 runs. Hridoy scored 36 off 37 balls before being bowled by Abbas Afridi, but by then the home side were well on course. Parvez, who had been dismissed for ducks in his previous two outings in Sri Lanka, bounced back with a fluent unbeaten 52, reaching his fifty with a towering six off Faheem Ashraf. Jaker Ali then sealed the win with a boundary in the 16th over.
Jaker remained unbeaten on 15 from 10 balls, while opener Emon scored an unbeaten 56 off 39 deliveries.
Earlier, Bangladesh captain Litton Das finally won a T20I toss after nine straight losses and opted to field first. Taskin Ahmed returned to the XI in place of Shoriful Islam, while Pakistan handed a debut to Salman Mirza.
Pakistan’s innings unravelled quickly after a nervous start. Despite Fakhar Zaman being dropped in the opening over, the visitors never found momentum. Saim Ayub fell in the second over to Taskin, and Mehidy Hasan removed Mohammad Haris soon after. Captain Agha Salman edged to Litton off Tanzim Hasan, leaving Pakistan reeling at 33 for 3.
The collapse deepened during the powerplay, which ended with Pakistan at 41 for 4. Hasan Nawaz was out for a duck, while Mohammad Nawaz was run out by Mehidy with a direct hit. Fakhar Zaman offered some resistance, top-scoring with 44 off 34 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes, but he was run out in the 14th over after a mix-up with Khushdil Shah.
Abbas Afridi’s two sixes off Tanzim provided a brief lift as Pakistan crossed 100, but the tail crumbled. The final over was dramatic, with three wickets falling in three balls: Faheem Ashraf was caught by Mehidy, Salman Mirza was run out, and Abbas Afridi was caught by Litton Das — all without a run added.
Pakistan were bowled out for 110, their lowest T20I total against Bangladesh, eclipsing the previous low of 129 for 7 in the 2016 Asia Cup.
Mustafizur Rahman was the standout bowler for Bangladesh, returning record figures of 4–0–6–2 — the most economical four-over spell ever by a Bangladeshi in T20Is. Mehidy took 2 for 37, while Tanzim and Taskin chipped in with a wicket each.
With 7 wickets and 22 balls remaining, this is Bangladesh’s biggest win over Pakistan in T20 cricket. Their previous largest win by wickets was also in Mirpur in 2015 with 7 wickets, and by balls remaining was 22 balls, also in that same 2015 match.
The second T20I will be played at the same venue on 22 July.