LAHORE: Pakistani bowler Hassan Ali has achieved new milestone in his T20I career with five-wicket Haul against Bangladesh in first game of the three-match series.
The right-arm pacer took five wickets for 30 runs in 3.2 overs, becoming only the fourth Pakistani bowler to achieve this feat in T20I cricket.
Previously, Umar Gul, Sufyan Muqeem, and Imad Wasim have also achieved five-wicket hauls in T20Is.
On Wednesday, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by 37 runs in the opening match of the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
Hassan Ali was the pick of the bowlers with five scalps while Shadab Khan took two wickets.
Batting first, Pakistan set a target of 202 runs for Bangladesh. Pakistan openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub fell cheaply, scoring just 1 and 0 respectively, leaving Pakistan at a precarious 1/2 in the opening overs.
However, a counter-attacking partnership between Mohammad Haris and skipper Salman Agha steadied the ship. Haris smashed a quickfire 31 off 18 balls with 4 boundaries and a six, while Salman anchored the innings with a classy 56 off 34, laced with 8 fours and a six.
Momentum surged when Hasan Nawaz and Shadab Khan joined forces, launching a brutal assault on the Bangladeshi bowlers. Nawaz hammered 44 off 22 deliveries, including 4 towering sixes, while Shadab played an equally aggressive knock of 48 off 25 balls, finding the boundary 5 times and clearing it twice.
Pakistan’s innings slowed in the final overs with the fall of wickets. Khushdil Shah managed only 5 off 10, while Faheem Ashraf added a useful unbeaten 11 off 6 balls. Hasan Ali chipped in with a single run off the last ball.
For Bangladesh, Shoriful Islam was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 2 wickets for 23 runs, while Mahedi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Shamim Hossain took a wicket apiece.
