Bangladesh A were left with a mountain to climb after Pakistan Shaheens racked up 227 for 4 in the opening fixture of the Top End T20 Series on 14 August in Darwin.
Having won the toss, Pakistan Shaheens chose to bat and immediately seized control. Openers Khawaja Nafay and Yasir Khan tore into the Bangladeshi bowling, racing to a 118-run partnership. Both reached half-centuries, with Nafay smashing 61 off 31 balls before being run out, while Yasir struck 62 from 40 deliveries before falling to Mahfuzur Rahman Rabbi with the score at 129.
The momentum continued even after the openers’ departure. Abdul Samad, batting at three, played with blistering intent, cracking boundaries at will to finish unbeaten on 56 from just 27 balls. Muhammad Faiq chipped in with 18 from 10 balls, while Irfan Khan added an unbeaten 25 off 12 deliveries.
By the close of their 20 overs, the Shaheens had set Bangladesh A an imposing target of 228.
For Bangladesh, wickets were shared among Rakibul Hasan, Hasan Mahmud and Mahfuzur Rahman Rabbi, each taking one.
In reply, Bangladesh A made a rapid start, reaching 50 for 1 in 3.5 overs, but still required another 178 runs from 16.1 overs at the time of reporting.