Pakistan in Bangladesh, 2011-12
Wisden's review of the second ODI between Bangladesh and Pakistan, Mirpur, 2011-12
Utpal Shuvro
15-Apr-2012
At Mirpur, December 3, 2011 (day/night). Second one-day international: Pakistan won by 76 runs. Pakistan 262-7 (50 overs) (Mohammad Hafeez 32, Younis Khan 37, Misbah-ul-Haq 37, Umar Akmal 59, Shahid Afridi 42); Bangladesh 186-7 (50 overs) (Shakib Al Hasan 34, Nasir Hossain 100; Umar Gul 4-36). MoM: Nasir Hossain. One-day international debut: Elias Sunny (Bangladesh).
Pakistan's batsmen used an old-fashioned approach to lay the foundations for a late onslaught: only 93 runs came in the first 25 overs, but the second half of the innings yielded 169. Then Bangladesh's top order collapsed again, playing rash shots on a decent pitch: by the tenth over it was 19-4. Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain saved humiliation with a stand of 106, but it took them 32.1 overs and victory was never a possibility. Nasir, dropped on 0 and 9, completed his maiden international century, but his was a lonely battle. With five overs left, he still needed 31, and got there with a flurry of shots.
Utpal Shuvro is the sports editor at Dhaka daily Prothom Alo