Hesson concedes Pakistan 'exposed' as debutants struggle in heavy Dhaka defeat

DHAKA: Pakistan's white-ball head coach Mike Hesson admitted his side's batting was "exposed" by an impressive Bangladesh bowling attack, following a chastening eight-wicket defeat in the first ODI clash in Mirpur.

The tourists were skittled out for just 114, their lowest ever ODI total against Bangladesh, before the hosts cantered to victory with 34.5 overs to spare. The margin of defeat stands as Pakistan's fourth-heaviest in terms of balls remaining.

Fast bowler Nahid Rana was the architect of Pakistan's demise, claiming a mesmerising five-wicket haul. Introduced in the tenth over with Pakistan yet to lose a wicket, the 22-year-old doubled his career ODI tally inside five overs, striking in each of his first five overs to leave the innings in tatters.

"It's a pretty disappointing batting performance," Hesson said after the game. "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."

The build-up to the series had been dominated by Pakistan's bold selection, handing out four maiden ODI caps – the first time since 2008 they have fielded such an inexperienced line-up.

The move, accompanied by the recent appointments of Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed to the men's selection panel, was seen as a clear statement of intent regarding the team's future direction.

However, the gamble backfired emphatically. The four debutant batters contributed a combined total of just 49 runs.

Shamyl Hussain endured a particularly torrid time, looking ill at ease against Rana's raw pace. He was dropped during a forgettable seven-ball stay before edging a short delivery through to the wicketkeeper.

Hesson, who had previously criticised the slow, turning tracks prepared during Pakistan's T20 series in Bangladesh last July, had no such complaints about the surface in Dhaka and was fulsome in his praise for the opposition paceman.

"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."

Despite the severity of the defeat, Hesson defended both the young players and the decision to select them.

"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."

Pakistan opted not to select Haris Rauf, meaning they had no bowler capable of matching Rana's express pace. However, Hesson dismissed the notion that his side was unnerved by the extra speed.

"You face that pace all the time," he said of Rana. "He bowled in good areas, he was aggressive, he bowled good bouncers. He deserved what he got.

The coach conceded that defending a paltry total led his bowlers to stray from their disciplined plans.

"When you're defending a well below par total, even if you want to be disciplined and create pressure, you do go searching a little bit. And I think there's no doubt we went searching with the ball. We weren't able to execute as many balls as we wanted to. You can play with a bit of freedom when you're chasing a score like that. All in all, it was a poor day's work and one we're going to have to turn around really quickly.

"Youngsters have got to learn. You've got to give them opportunities to learn and grow. We would love them to run out and score a hundred on debut but they have to go through some tough challenges. We have to show some resilience over the next few days and fight well in the next game.

"We're looking forward to the next match. There's a bit of reflection to do on today's performance. I don't think we'll underestimate that we were poor and we were exposed with the bat."

Meanwhile, the visitors were bowled out for just 114 in 30.4 overs, marking their lowest-ever total in the 50-over format against the Bengal Tigers.

Nahid Rana wreaked havoc on Pakistan’s batting lineup, claiming 5/24 in seven overs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took three wickets, while Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed picked up one wicket each.

The hosts comfortably chase Pakistan’s 115-run target, losing just two wickets in 15.1 overs, powered by a stellar performance from the Tigers’ top order.

Bangladesh got off to a solid start as openers Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hasan set the tone, with Tanzid leading the scoring while targeting Shaheen Afridi and Faheem Ashraf in the early overs.

The 27-run partnership was broken when skipper Shaheen Afridi dismissed Saif cheaply for four off 10 deliveries.

After the breakthrough, Tanzid and Najmul Hossain Shanto combined to build a commanding partnership, hitting boundaries and taking the team past the 50-run mark by the seventh over.

The duo put together a fifty-run stand, dominating Pakistan’s bowling—from Abrar conceding consecutive sixes to Shaheen being hit for multiple fours.

Tanzid continued his batting prowess, staying in top form and scoring his fifth ODI half-century, putting Bangladesh at 92-1 in 12 overs.

However, the 82-run partnership ended when Wasim Jr struck, taking the key wicket of Najmul Shanto, who scored 27 off 33 deliveries with five boundaries.

The Bengal Tigers wrapped up the innings with Tanzid Hasan unbeaten on 67 off 42 deliveries, hitting seven fours and five sixes, while Litton Das contributed three runs.