Pakistan slipped to a bruising eight-wicket loss in the first ODI at Mirpur, rolled for just 114 before Bangladesh cantered home in 15.1 overs. Quick Nahid Rana did most of the damage, snatching 5 for 19 in a lively, 25-ball burst that cut through the middle and never really gave the visitors a way back.
“It’s a pretty disappointing batting performance,” admitted white-ball coach Mike Hesson afterwards. “I don’t think there’s any shying away from that. It wasn’t just the youngsters, we were exposed against some good bowling and we went into our shell a little bit, and we have to turn things around really quickly.”
Key facts first, because they tell the story neatly enough.
• Pakistan’s 114 is their lowest ODI total against Bangladesh.
• The match ended with 208 balls unused – their fourth-heaviest defeat by that measure.
• Four Pakistan players – Shamyl Hussain, Saad Baig, Abrar Ahmed and Hunain Shah – were on debut, the most since 2008.
• Rana’s haul doubled his career tally in the format.
Bangladesh’s run-chase was so straightforward that Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das almost looked sheepish knocking off the runs. Tamim collected a busy 46*; Litton, more belligerent, belted 52 before clipping a catch to mid-wicket. Only a mis-judged pull from Najmul Hossain Shanto offered Pakistan a second wicket. By then, the outcome was sealed.
Hesson, who had been critical of slow Dhaka tracks on the last tour, was quick to stress that the surface played fair this time. “The wicket was fine,” he said. “It played pretty well. Nahid Rana was exceptional. Until he came into the game, we were ticking along okay, and he changed the game. He bowled into the wicket, created some variation and bounce, which he’s allowed to do when he’s bowling at that pace. And we didn’t respond as well as we needed to. So all credit to him.”
Those four debutants combined for 49 runs, Shamyl’s nervy seven-ball stay ending when he swiped Rana straight up to the keeper. Their struggles raise an obvious question about whether Pakistan, with a revamped selection committee that now includes Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed, have tried to refresh too much, too fast. Hesson pushed back politely. “Youngsters have got to learn. It wasn’t just the youngsters [who struggled]. All of us need to stand up and put in a better performance with the bat and we’re certainly going to try and do that in games 2 and 3.”
The coach also brushed aside suggestions his line-up lacked the high-pace threat to mirror Rana, given Haris Rauf’s omission. Sources inside the camp insist the focus is on workload management, though privately some senior players admit the attack felt a seamer short once the ball softened.
Former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar, summarising on local radio, reckoned Rana’s success came down to simple plans executed at high pace. “He just kept banging that short-of-a-length zone, maybe 7-8 metres. The ball got big on the batters, especially the new boys, and suddenly Pakistan couldn’t rotate. Pressure told.”
Statistically, Rana’s spell is already among the best by a Bangladeshi quick in ODIs; only Mustafizur Rahman (5 for 22 v India, 2015) has gone cheaper for a five-for against a full member. The young right-armer, still only 23, said little after play, preferring to let the numbers do the talking.
Pakistan’s dressing-room was understandably subdued. Senior pro Babar Azam – captaining the side again after Shaheen Shah Afridi’s brief stint – faced a handful of TV questions, conceding the team had “missed a chance to set the tone for the series”. He nodded curtly when asked if the approach would change on Wednesday: “It has to.”
From a neutral’s point of view, the match felt like one of those rare ODIs decided inside the opening hour. Bangladesh were sharp with the ball, Pakistan hesitant with the bat, and the contest never escaped that early pattern. There is, to borrow Hesson’s phrase, “no shying away” from the gulf on show.
Still, series sport has a habit of flipping scripts quickly. A tidier Powerplay, a bit more intent through the middle, and Pakistan could look a different side. For now, though, Rana’s standout spell sits proudly on the scoreboard, and the visitors have two days to find some answers.
