Twenty-six runs needed in the last four overs. It came
down to eight off six in the final one. Pakistan, semifinalists of the recently
concluded T20 World Cup held in the UAE, pulled it off on Monday to win the
thrilling third T20I at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka by 5 wickets in
the penultimate delivery and the series 3-0.

With no choice to make due to the situation
created by Taskin Ahmed’s injury, Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah decided to
bowl despite having not bowled earlier in the match. And what a drama unfolded
in a lopsided match!

Drama unfolds at Shere Bangla 

He dismissed Sarfaraz Ahmed in the second
delivery and Haider Ali in the third before being whacked for a six by Iftikhar
Ahmed. On the fourth ball, he got the wicket of Ahmed but with two to win
Mohammad Nawaz smashed a four through extra cover to script a thrilling win for
Pakistan to complete the clean sweep for the visiting side.

Earlier winning the toss, Bangladesh, who made a group stage exit from the T20 World Cup, opted
to bat first but with no Shakib-al-Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mishfiqur Rahim in
their rank they struggled to score on a slow Shere Bangla pitch.

Pakistan made early inroads dismissing
Najmul Hossain Shanto for five in the second over and Shamim Hossain for 22 in
the eighth over. After that Bangladesh could not really make a recovery with
opener Mohammad Naim scoring a 50-ball 47 to help Bangladesh post a dismal 124
for 7 in 20 overs.

In reply, Pakistan made a slow start with
Mohammad Rizwan scoring a slow-paced 40 off 43 and Haider 45 off 38 balls.
However, on a tired pitch, they struggled to get going. Eventually, the
proceedings came down to final over and a drama unfolded.

Three wickets in an over raised
Bangladesh’s hope but not enough runs on the scoreboard meant they had to finish the
T20I series without a win.

The trophy will be given later

In the post-match presentation ceremony,
Pakistan captain Babar Azam was informed that the trophy for winning the T20I
series will be handed out to him after the two-match Test series starting in
Chattogram on November 26. Pakistan won the first two T20Is by four wickets and eight wickets, respectively.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rizwan won the Player
of the Series award for scoring 90 runs in three matches.

Mahmudullah blames pitch

Reflecting on the match, Babar Azam said,
“The way every individual has performed, credit to the group. There is always
scope for improvement. Our fielding has improved a lot. Middle order has also
taken responsibility to win matches. Want to take this confidence into the
Tests. Thanks to the fans, we enjoyed these three matches.”

Mahmudullah on the other hand blamed the
pitch for this low-scoring match. “It’s hard to say. Batters from both teams
struggled a bit. Need to spend some time at the crease to capitalise. I really
appreciate the way Taskin came back after having the injury on his bowling
hand,” he said.