Match end update : BanglaWash!
Chasing 251, openers Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal shared an excellent 145-run stand, before the latter was dismissed. Tamim completed his 29th ODI fifty and this is the first time in the series that he was dismissed before scoring a hundred. Although Mahmudullah went soon after, Sarkar carried on and completed his maiden ODI hundred. Mushfiqur Rahim then gave Sarkar good company and the duo took Bangladesh past the line to sweep the ODI series 3-0. They won by 8 wickets and 63 balls to spare. "It is a magical moment," said Athar Ali Khan on air as the crowd went berserk with celebrations.
Update : Sarkar makes Pakistan pay
Soumya Sarkar had a lucky break when Junaid Khan dropped a sitter at deep mid-wicket, denying Umar Gul a wicket. This was after the third wicket pair had registered a half-century stand to take Bangladesh closer to a 3-0 clean-sweep. After the dropped chance, Sarkar made Pakistan pay by scoring a six off Babar in the 37th over and following it up two fours and a six off successive deliveries in the 38th over, bowled by Gul. The over yielded 18 runs, leaving Bangladesh with only 17 to get off 72.
Update : Sarkar hammers maiden ton
Junaid Khan conceded 15 runs in his seventh over. Sarkar smashed him for two successive fours to move into the 90s. Rahim has started playing his shots as well. Not long after, Sarkar brought up his maiden ODI hundred in the 34th over by hitting a massive six off Azhar Ali. He was absolutely over the moon and delightfully hugged his partner. He has hit a total of 11 fours and 4 sixes so far in his knock.
Wicket : Bangladesh lose second wicket
Coming back strongly, Junaid Khan bowled a beauty to dismiss Mahmudullah on 4. The batsman was lured into playing a front foot drive but the ball sneaked through the gap between the bat and pad and hit the top of off. At the other end, Sarkar is in his 80s and Bangladesh now require less than 100 runs to achieve a comfortable victory.
Wicket : Junaid breaks dangerous stand
Pakistan finally managed to break the 145-run opening stand in the 26th over as Junaid trapped Tamim on 64. The batsman reviewed it straightaway however Hawk-Eye showed that the ball was clipping the off-stump. It did not take long for the third umpire to affirm the on-field call and Tamim had to go.
Update : Tamim joins the party
Tamim Iqbal was playing the second fiddle to Sarkar since the beginning, but he switched gears to propel Bangladesh further. He was also given a reprieve on 41 when he was dropped by short leg fielder as he looked to flick a delivery off Babar. He brought up his fifty in the 23rd over and with over 300 runs leads the list of highest run-getters in the series.
The partnership, by the way, is over 140 now and Bangladesh are dealing in boundaries at the moment.
Update : Sarkar's fifty drives Bangladesh
Pakistan toiled in vain as searched for a breakthrough, but Bangladesh openers were on a song. Soumya Sarkar hit a convincing fifty and Tamim was playing a good supporting knock. Sarkar was earlier dropped on 48 by Sarfraz off Hafeez. Bangladesh have put up 92 for the first wicket and with more than 30 overs to go, they are inching towards a convincing victory.
Update : Bangladesh start positively
Bangladesh started their innings confidently, playing the Pakistan bowlers with ease. Soumya Sarkar played in a positive fashion and hit Umar Gul for back-to-back boundaries. On the other hand, Tamim Iqbal is keeping him company and rotating the strike. Pakistan have already introduced Hafeez into the attack now.
Innings end update : Pakistan collapse after Azhar ton
At one point, it looked like Pakistan were well on their way to a big total. However, as soon as Azhar Ali and Haris Sohail got to their respective landmarks, the batting order collapsed spectacularly. Pakistan, who were cruising at 203/2 in the 39th over, lost their last eight wickets for just 47 runs and folded before their 50 overs were up. They were bowled out for 250 and Bangladesh will be fancying their chances of effecting a total whitewash.
And you know what, this is the 250th time that Pakistan have got all out in ODIs.
Reaction : Pakistani fans currently
Wicket : Pakistan continue to struggle
Bangladesh stormed back into the match with a flurry of wickets. Rubel Hossain removed Wahab Riaz for 7 in the 46th over while Umar Gul fell in the following over attempting a non-existent single. Pakistan's horror run continued when Rubel snapped up Saad Nasim after that. This is almost a comical collapse by Pakistan!
Wicket : Mortaza gets his 2nd wicket
Pakistan scoring rate took a hit after Azhar Ali and Haris Sohail fell in quick succession. Soon after, Fawad Alam departed for a mere 4 runs after he pulled a short one to deep square leg, giving Mortaza his second wicket of the day. Nasir Hossain threw himself to his left and took a fine tumbling take.
Wicket : Quick wickets dent Pakistan
Shakib Al Hasan, who is playing his 150th ODI game, gave Bangladesh the much-needed breakthrough as a castled Azhar Ali on 101. The skipper tried to be cheeky and attempted a late dab, but the ball straightened and hit the top of the off-stump. Azhar walked off the field to a rousing applause from the crowd.
In the very next over, Sohail (53) threw away his wicket when he looked to heave a shortish delivery from Mortaza. A big top-edge resulted in the ball flying towards the left of the keeper, who snaffled an easy take.
Update : Azhar, Sohail lay platform
Azhar Ali became only the third Pakistan captain after Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi to score a century in his third innings as captain. This was also his maiden ODI ton. Interestingly, he is also the fourth oldest Pakistani to score a maiden ton.
Meanwhile, Haris Sohail also brought up a fine fifty and has hit two fantastic sixes in his knock so far. The partnership is slowly moving towards the 100-mark.
Update : Pakistan going strong
Azhar Ali and Harish Sohail have put up a fifty-plus stand for the third wicket. Azhar is batting in his 80s and getting good support from Sohail. The current run rate is over 5 per over and Pakistan have done well to take on the Bangladesh bowlers. Mortaza has already used 8 bowlers in the match so far
Wicket : Hafeez fails again
Shortly after Sami Aslam fell, Azhar Ali brought up his second fifty as the Pakistan captain. He is in good nick and has hit 5 fours so far. If he persists, Pakistan have a good chance of putting up a competitive total.
He would have expected the experienced Mohammad Hafeez to stick around but the batsman went for an ambitious swipe across the line and completely missed it. Arafat Sunny snapped up his first wicket of the game.
Wicket : Aslam departs for 45
Debutant Sami Aslam was removed by Nasir Hossain on a well-made 45. He feathered a turning delivery to the keeper. On initial viewing, it was thought that Aslam had completely missed the ball but he walked off straightaway and the umpire had no hesitation in raising his finger. Bad luck for the young man! He was playing such positive cricket, missed a fifty on debut for just 5 runs.
The partnership between the openers was 91, Pakistan's highest opening stand in this series.
Update : Bdesh lose a review
Bangladesh reviewed a decision against Sami Aslam in the tenth over off Arafat Sunny. The 19-year old batsman attempted to sweep, missed the ball and ended up offering an acrobatic catch to Tamim Iqbal at leg gully. After discussing it with his fielders, Mortaza decided to take the review. The third umpire deemed that the ball had missed the glove and gone off the thigh pad. Upon checking for LBW, replays showed that the ball had pitched outside leg.
Update : Pakistan off to a steady start
After opting to bat first, Pakistan have made a solid start along with openers Azhar Ali and Sami Aslam. The debutant is looking in good touch and has already hit 3 fours so far. Azhar Ali survived a small scare on 11, when he edged a ball off Mortaza while attempting to drive. Luckily for him, the ball fell just short of the man at first slip.
Bangladesh have now brought spinners into the attack.
Toss and Teams : Pakistan opt to bat
Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat in the third ODI. They have made three changes to the team - Zulfiqar Babar, Sami Aslam and Umar Gul come in place of Rahat Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed and Saeed Ajmal. Sami Aslam will be making his ODI debut. Bangladesh are unchanged.
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Arafat Sunny, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain
Pakistan (Playing XI): Azhar Ali(c), Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saad Nasim, Sami Aslam, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Zulfiqar Babar
Build-up : Bangladesh aim for the whitewash
Two wins and two games and Bangladesh secured an epic series win by defeating Pakistan for the first time in ODIs since the 1999 World Cup. They now have the golden opportunity to complete a rare whitewash - a historic moment in their cricketing history.
Pakistan are undergoing a transition phase after the World Cup. For this series, they are without Misbah and Afridi - who have retired from ODIs. They have a new captain in Azhar Ali who is yet to find his bearings. So this series loss is not a huge shock considering how Bangladesh have been playing ever since the World Cup. Injuries to players like Sohaib Maqsood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah and Ehsan Adil has not helped their cause either.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, have been playing fantastic cricket. Their all-round performance in both the matches has largely been a catalyst in this transformation.
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