Mushfiqur Rahim said before the match that it was time for Bangladesh to stop aiming for "respectable losses" and show they can compete against the best. At the interval, their spinners laid the groundwork for a confidence-building win at the start of the series, but those hopes fizzled out as Pakistan's varied attack proved far superior. Barely seven overs into the chase, the result was a foregone conclusion.
Pakistan's ruthlessness wasn't surprising, to say the least. Their bowlers, especially the spinners, downed Sri Lanka in all three formats in the UAE barely a few days before they landed in Bangladesh. That they conceded their first boundary in the ninth over was an example of their discipline.
Full report to follow
20 overs Pakistan 135 for 7 (Hafeez 25, Kapali 2-12) v Bangladesh
It was a tough initiation for Pakistan on their tour as Bangladesh played to their strength - spin - to restrict the tourists to 135 at the Shere Bangla Stadium. Pakistan started brightly after winning the toss, but the going got tough once the slower bowlers - five in all - began operating at either end on a typically dark Dhaka pitch.
The captain Mushfiqur Rahim didn't waste any time getting his spinners on, bringing in Abdur Razzak as early as the second over. Razzak began by floating one down the leg side, which went for five wides. It was hardly a sign of things to come as he and the rest applied the brakes on the scoring and chipped away at the wickets to keep the packed weekday crowd delighted.
Imran Farhat smacked two consecutive fours off Shakib Al Hasan before the bowler hit back, slipping in a quicker delivery to induce a feather edge to the keeper. The in-form Hafeez went on the attack and while he was around, Pakistan were motoring along at eight an over.
The ninth over was significant for Bangladesh as Shakib managed to keep the aggressive Hafeez quiet for five balls. Determined to break the shackles, Hafeez attempted a slog and lost his wicket. Bangladesh didn't look back after that wicket-maiden.
Umar Akmal appeared comfortable against the quicker bowlers, hitting Rubel Hossain for consecutive fours, but he perished trying to charge Alok Kapali. It was another blow for Pakistan, just when another partnership was developing, with Misbah-ul-Haq. Kapali sensed Umar's instinct and cleverly dropped the ball short.
Asad Shafiq and Shahid Afridi both perished in similar fashion, getting caught in the deep. The captain Misbah tried restoring some order but he kept running out of partners.
Despite Pakistan being restricted to a below-par total, the chase promises to be absorbing given that the Pakistan spinners were in top form against Sri Lanka in the UAE.
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