Former captain Shahid Afridi grabbed yet another five-wicket haul as Pakistan overcame Bangladesh by five wickets in the first one-day international in Dhaka on Thursday.
The leg-spinner ripped through the Bangladesh line-up as the hosts were bowled out for 91 after electing to bat at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium -- with seven batsmen failing to reach double figures.
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The visitors then lost five wickets chasing the modest target which was eventually overhauled in the 26th over to give the tourists the lead in the three-match series.
Seamer Rubel Hossain and spinner Shakib Al Hasan claimed two wickets apiece to leave Pakistan struggling at 63-5, before Afridi took his team home with an unbeaten 24 off 23 balls.
As the runs dried up on the turning wicket, Afridi broke free with three successive fours off Shakib and then cut the same bowler for another boundary to win the game. Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq made 16 not out, sharing a match-winning stand of 30 with Afridi.
It was Pakistan's 26th win in 27 one-dayers against Bangladesh, the lone defeat having come during the 1999 World Cup in England.
Scorecard
Bangladesh:
Tamim Iqbal lbw b Mohammad Hafeez 0
Shahriar Nafees c Malik b Shahid Afridi 7
Naeem Islam c Misbah b Umar Gul 5
Mushfiqur Rahim c Sarfraz b Shoaib Malik 11
Shakib Al Hasan c Akmal b Shahid Afridi 15
Mahmudullah c Sarfraz b Shahid Afridi 1
Nasir Hossain c Sarfraz b Aizaz Cheema 21
Farhad Reza lbw b Shahid Afridi 1
Abdur Razzak c Yunis b Saeed Ajmal 3
Shafiul Islam c Sarfraz b Shahid Afridi 0
Rubel Hossain not out 15
Extras: (b-2, lb-2, w-8) 12
Total: (all out; 30.3 overs) 91
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-6, 3-29, 4-29, 5-31, 6-67, 7-71, 8-74, 9-74, 10-91.
Bowling: Mohammad Hafeez 5-2-7-1, Umar Gul 5-1-19-1 (w-2), Shahid Afridi 6.3-0-23-5, Shoaib Malik 5-0-13-1 (w-1), Saeed Ajmal 6-2-13-1, Aizaz Cheema 3-1-12-1
Pakistan:
Mohammad Hafeez c Shahriar b Rubel Hossain 22
Imran Farhat b Nasir Hossain 12
Younis Khan c Rahim b Shakib Al Hasan 2
Sarfraz Ahmed c Shakib b Rubel Hossain 2
Misbah-ul Haq not out 16
Umar Akmal b Shakib Al Hasan 7
Shahid Afridi not out 24
Extras: (lb-4, w-4) 8
Total: (five wickets; 25.4 overs) 93
Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-42, 3-42, 4-44, 5-63.
Did not bat: Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema
Bowling: Abdur Razzak 4-1-15-0 (w-1), Shafiul Islam 3-0-8-0(w-2), Shakib Al Hasan 9.4-3-42-2 (w-1), Rubel Hossain 8-1-23-2, Nasir Hossain 1-0-1-1.
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