5 most memorable BAN vs PAK encounters

With the Bangladesh-Pakistan series just four days away, we take a look into the two sides' past encounters to pick up five most memorable matches, and here are the ones we think tops the list.

1. ICC World Cup: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Northampton, May 31, 1999

On paper, it was the mismatch of the tournament. Pakistan were on a roll, crushing all their opponents with ruthless efficiency, including a memorable win against favourites Australia at Headingley. Bangladesh were the rank outsiders, making their debut in the tournament. They had yet to post a total past 200 in four attempts, even against minnows Scotland.

The proverbial David versus Goliath clash was set to take place at Wantage Road. Batting first, Bangladesh posted 223 on the board under gloomy conditions at Northampton with Akram Khan top scoring with 42 runs. Their chances of winning didn't look bright since Pakistan's batting line-up was at its formidable best.

Khaled Mahmud took the fight to Pakistan with his dibbly-dobbly seamers and wrecked their top-order with three crucial wickets. Pakistan's bad day at office got worse with outrageously silly run-outs and they were reeling at 42 for 5 chasing the smallish total. As the crowd sensed an upset in the air, the drum beats, whistles and chants got louder and louder as each wicket fell. When Saqlain Mushtaq was left stranded in his crease, the outfield turned into a tide of rapturous celebration as Bangladesh defeated Pakistan for the first time in their cricketing history. 

Click here to see the match scorecard.

2. Asia Cup, Final: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, Mar 22, 2012

Bangladesh, the perennial underdog of the subcontinent emerged as the giant-killer in this tournament. With exhilarating victories over Asian giants India and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh romped into the final with a new found confidence, something that was missing in their armory for ages. Bangladesh spinners and their spirited fielding kept Pakistan down to 236, although at 133 for 6, Bangladesh were calling all the shots.

Tamim Iqbal struck his fourth fifty on the trot and Shakib Al Hasan was at his imperious best. Pakistan somehow managed to rise to the occasion with outstanding fielding and disciplined bowling from their spinners. Although the asking rate was never out of reach, fall of wickets began hurting Bangladesh as the match went down to the wire.

With nine to get in the last over, Pakistan's Aizaz Cheema was given the ball to save his country's blushes. His unintentional obstruction of Mahmudullah's attempt for a second run earned him the worst expletives from Bangladeshi supporters at the ground and those glued to the television screen. He kept his cool in the end as his yorker jarred into Shahadat Hossain's pads, denying Bangladesh a famous victory by 2 runs. The cheers went unabated as tears rolled down the cheeks of Bangladesh players and fans alike, a day when Tigers lost a match but won the hearts of millions worldwide.

Click here to see the match scorecard.

3. Asia Cup, 8th Match: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, Mar 4, 2014

With Anamul Haque's hundred, fifties from top three batsmen and late onslaught from Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh posted their highest total in ODI, a mammoth 326 runs for the Pakistani batsmen to chase down at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Pakistan's chase got stuck in second gear as their batsmen failed to get out of their shell. When Shehzad Ahmed departed in the 39^th over after a well-made century, the asking run-rate was a shade below eleven in the final ten overs. As Shahid Afridi came out to bat, Bangladesh still held the upper hand as the target seemed like a bridge too far for Pakistan. Yet, in a matter of four overs, the match slipped out of Bangladesh's grip with Shahid Afridi's brutal assault.

Mahmudullah was carted for 16 runs, Shakib went for 20 and then Shafiul Islam conceded 16 in the 45th over. After Afridi's blitz, Fawad Alam slogged 18 runs in the 48th over bowled by Abdur Razzak to take Pakistan to the cusp of victory. Bangladesh supporters were left shell-shocked as the dream of defeating Pakistan was shattered by Afridi's superhuman effort.

Click here to see the match scorecard.

4. Bangladesh tour of Pakistan, 4th ODI: Pakistan v Bangladesh at Rawalpindi, Sep 18, 2003

With Rajin Saleh holding the fort, Bangladesh managed to scrape to a below-par total of 222 runs at Rawalpindi, with some late-order hitting from Khaled Mahmud, Mushfiqur Rahim and Tushar Imran. Bangladesh's circumspect batting was largely due to some superb spells from Mohammad Sami and Umar Gul, both of them picking up two wickets for their efforts. The game seemed as good as gone when Pakistani opener Imran Nazir started belting boundaries almost at will.

As both the Pakistani openers returned to the pavilion, Bangladesh bowlers began tightening the screws with disciplined bowling while the fielders supported them to the fullest. Yousuf Youhana batted sensibly even as the asking rate climbed to a run-a-ball situation after Inzamam-ul-Haq's dismissal. When Shoaib Malik was run-out to a brilliant piece of fielding from Alok Kapali, the cat was among the pigeons as Pakistan needed 18 of 17 balls.

After Mashrafe Mortaza gave away 8 runs in his final over, Pakistan needed 7 from the last 6 balls of the match. Tapash Baisya conceded 5 runs from his first three balls and then Youhana won the match with a four to deep midwicket. Although Bangladesh played well, they were unable to close out the match mainly due to their inexperience.

Click here to see the match scorecard.

5. Bangladesh tour of Pakistan, 3rd Test: Pakistan v Bangladesh at Multan, Sep 3-6, 2003

Bangladesh came agonizingly close to their first test victory that too over Asian cricketing giant Pakistan in their backyard. Test cricket was still uncharted territory for Bangladesh Tigers, having earned the test status only couple of years ago. When Bangladesh bowled out Pakistan for only 175 and took a first innings lead of 106 runs, things looked promising for the visitors.

Bangladesh did not fare well in the second innings when they came out to bat. They could not put up much resistance to Shabbir Ahmed and Umar Gul's sharp bowling and were bundled out for only 154 runs, leaving Pakistan a challenging target of 261 to get in the last innings. Manjural Islam, Khaled Mahmud and Mohammad Rafique kept Bangladesh in the game with wickets at regular intervals, but the seasoned Inzamam-ul-Haq refused to go down without a fight.

At 5 for 99, Pakistan stared down the barrel, while all their hopes were pinned on Inzamam. He struck a century under the most trying circumstances, having farmed the strike to perfection and protecting the tail-enders brilliantly. When he ran out Umar Gul (who himself had escaped two run-out chances) with four runs to get, the onus of taking his team home was squarely on the shoulders of Inzamam. The number 11 batsman Yasir Ali managed to survive almost an entire over from Khaled Mahmud, helped by innocuous bowling down the leg side. In the end Inzamam clipped the last ball for four and denied Bangladesh a real prospect of glory.

Click here to see the match scorecard.