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Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has stirred controversy with his recent remarks, claiming that Bangladesh intentionally allowed Pakistan to win the third and final T20I of the series in Mirpur out of regional brotherhood.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit questioned Bangladesh’s intent during the match, where they suffered a heavy 74-run defeat after already sealing the series by winning the first two games. He pointed to Bangladesh’s sloppy fielding and a lacklustre batting performance as signs that the hosts were not playing with full seriousness.
“Credit to Bangladesh for winning the series. But in the final game, their body language was completely different,” Basit said.
“They didn’t seem bothered about losing. It looked like they thought, ‘They are our brothers and neighbours, let them win a match,’” he added.
He praised Pakistan’s improved performance, particularly the opening partnership, with Sahibzada Farhan replacing Fakhar Zaman and scoring a fluent 63 off 41 balls. Hasan Nawaz chipped in with 33 off 17, while Mohammad Nawaz added a quick 27 from 16 balls, helping Pakistan post 178-7 — the highest total of the series.
In response, Bangladesh collapsed to 104 all out in just 16.4 overs. Only Mohammad Saifuddin showed some resistance with a 35-run knock, while the rest of the batting lineup struggled. Besides Saifuddin and the 12 extras conceded by Pakistan, only opener Naim Sheikh, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz managed to reach double figures.
The series ended 2-1 in Bangladesh’s favour.
