Tanzid 107, Taskin four-for trump Agha 106 to give Bangladesh series
Agha scored 106 off 98 balls after walking out at 67 for 4 in Pakistan's 291 chase but in vain
Abhijato Sensarma
Mar 15, 2026,
Tanzid Hasan celebrates his maiden ODI hundred, Bangladesh vs Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Mirpur, March 15, 2026
Bangladesh 290 for 5 (Tanzid 107, Hridoy 48*, Rauf 3-52) beat Pakistan 279 (Agha 106, Masood 38, Taskin 4-49) by 11 runs
This was an old-fashioned classic disguised as 21st century cricket. Probably the best ODI match of the year so far, tucked away as a bilateral decider in Mirpur. Two batters, Salman Agha and Tanzid Hasan, played stellar knocks while everyone else struggled on a pockmarked pitch.
Yes, this was old-fashioned: there was the tragic Pakistan collapse, the comical Pakistan running, and the tragicomic Pakistan finish.
At the end of it all, Bangladesh won their second successive bilateral ODI series against Pakistan, the two series being 11 years apart.
Let's start with just the last over: one wicket left, Shaheen Shah Afridi on strike, Rishad Hossain with the ball. 14 needed off six. Off the second delivery, Rishad ran back to collect a skier and spilled it at mid-on when he could have closed out the match.
With 12 needed off two, a wide was given, then a sneaky review was taken by Bangladesh to reverse it. With 12 needed off the last ball, Afridi ventured down the track and missed the ball all ends up, and could have been off for a stroll by the time Litton Das remembered to whip off the stumps.
However, the match was a long way away from being a heart-stopper, and had mostly been a one-way dogfight with Bangladesh calling the shots. Then, Agha made a belated entry to the middle at 67 for 4. They were chasing 291 on a pitch that turned when you slowed it down, and bounced when you speared it in.
Taskin Ahmed was the early wrecker-in-chief for Bangladesh, taking out Sahibzada Farhan and Mohammad Rizwan in the first and third over. Maaz Sadaqat departed to an edge off Nahid Rana in the one over in between. Yet, debutant Ghazi Ghori and two-ODIs-old Abdul Samad got together to stem the bleeding: they poked and prodded, and sometimes middled one, as they laboured to a 50-run partnership in 67 balls. The highlight of their stand was at least four run-out chances, with many yes-and-no calls as nerves gave way.