Iqbal steers Bangladesh to historic series win

tamimiqbal - Cropped

Tamim Iqbal's second successive century helped Bangladesh complete a historic one-day international series victory over Pakistan with an emphatic seven-wicket victory on Sunday.

Iqbal scored 132 as several records were sent tumbling including Bangladesh ending a 16-year wait for an ODI win over Pakistan in Friday's 79-run win.

And the opener was the star once more with a knock of 116 in Mirpur to earn a first series win over Pakistan in the short form.

Earlier, Saad Nasim's composed 77 and a quickfire 51 from Wahab Riaz saw Pakistan fight back from 77-5 to post a competitive 239-6.

Saeed Ajmal (1-45) rebounded from posting career-worst ODI figures of 0-74 on Friday, to dismiss Mahmudullah (17) for his first wicket since having an altered action cleared.

That was the only bright note for the Pakistan bowling attack, though, as Iqbal steered the hosts to an unassailable lead ahead of Wednesday's third contest.

Pakistan toiled on their way to 36 from the opening seven overs, but when Sarfraz Ahmed (7) nicked Rubel Hossain's (1-27) first delivery of the match to the slips the floodgates opened.

Mohammad Hafeez was sent packing for a duck by Arafat Sunny (1-41) in the next over, before opener Azhar Ali (36) was bamboozled by a sharp turn off the bowling of Shakib Al Hasan (2-51).

When Fawad Alam (0) and Mohammad Rizwan (13) also fell cheaply, Pakistan were reeling.

Nasim and Haris Sohail (44) added an element of calm, the former - who fell for a duck on his debut on Friday - showed he was in no rush by taking 51 balls to reach 17.

Once settled, the duo sped up the run-rate - Nasim slogged Sunny for six over long-off, before his partner followed suit by smashing Shakib straight over the ropes, with Wahab blasting five fours and two sixes after Sohail succumbed to a slower ball from Mashrafe Mortaza.

Bangladesh's innings took an early blow when Soumya Sarkar (17) fell to Junaid Khan, but Iqbal showed his class with three consecutive fours off Ajmal in the ninth over.

Ajmal responded to get plenty of turn to clean bowl Mahmudullah, but Iqbal - flanked superbly by Mushfiqur's 65 - continued to find the boundary with regularity and he brought up his century when he glanced Junaid down fine leg for four in the 36th over.

Mushfiqur failed to see out the innings, but his stand of 118 with Iqbal had long since taken the match away from Pakistan as Bangladesh wrapped up the match – and the series win - with 71 balls remaining.

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