PAK vs BAN, T20I tri-series: Led by Babar Azam, the Pakistan cricket team on Thursday defeated the Bangladesh side to end the league stage on a high note. The boys in green edged past the Bangla side at Hagley Oval, Christchurch as they chased down the target of 174 with 7 wickets in hand. For his firing knock of 45* off 20, Mohammad Rizwan was named the Player of the match. Notably, Pakistan had already qualified for the finals and are now set to face hosts New Zealand in the final clash.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh side has been handed a fourth loss in the T20I tri-series and will go empty-handed. The Bangla side won the toss and opted to bat first. Openers Najmul Shanto and Soumya Sarkar went back cheaply, leaving the team in a bit of trouble. However, Litton Das and captain Shakib Al Hasan stabilised things and stitched an 88-run stand. In the end, the Bangla side finished at 173 runs. For Pakistan, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jr scalped two wickets each while Nawaz also took a wicket.
Coming out to bat, the Pakistan openers were right on the spot. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam provided the team with a solid platform as they notched up a 100-run stand. The duo were separated by Hasan Mahmud in the 13th over when Babar Azam was caught by Shanto. Bangladesh inflicted a couple of more blows and pushed Pakistan to its limit, but then came Mohammad Nawaz. The left-handed batter took the bowlers to the cleaners. With his blistering knock of 45* off 20, Pakistan managed to win the contest on the penultimate ball. With this win, Bangladesh faced their fourth loss in the series and their win column stands blank.
Pakistan stayed in the second spot, behind New Zealand and will face the hosts in the final of the series. The final clash is scheduled to be held at the same venue- Hagley Oval, Christchurch on October 14.
