PAK vs BD 2nd T20I May 2026 Sylhet Recap: Litton Das Revival

Pakistan went 2-0 up in the series with a 22-run win at Sylhet on May 9, 2026. The headline story was Litton Das's 67 off 49 — the best individual knock of the series so far — but it was undone by a Bangladesh middle-order collapse from the 14th over onwards. Pakistan defended 168 with seven balls to spare. This is the structural recap.

Match summary

Team	Score	Overs	Result
Pakistan	168/7	20.0	Won by 22 runs
Bangladesh	146 all out	19.1	Lost

Toss: Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl. Player of the Match: Abrar Ahmed (3/24). Top scorer: Litton Das 67. Best Pakistan batter: Babar Azam 52.

Pakistan's 168: middle-overs construction

Pakistan's innings was built without a single fifty-run partnership from the top three. Saim Ayub fell for 19 in the powerplay, edging Mustafizur Rahman to slip. Rizwan made 24 before being caught at long-on off Mehidy Hasan. Babar Azam's 52 off 41 was the spine, but the back-end push came from Salman Ali Agha (28 off 16) and Faheem Ashraf (22 off 11). The 168 total looked sub-par at the innings break given how true the Sylhet wicket was playing.

Litton Das anchor knock anatomy

Phase	Balls	Runs
1-6	14	22
7-12	19	24
13-15	16	21

Litton attacked Pakistan's spinners through the middle overs, picking off Abrar Ahmed for two boundaries in the eighth and using the depth of the crease against Mohammad Nawaz. He looked set for a hundred when he holed out to deep midwicket off Faheem Ashraf in the 16th, trying to clear the fielder for a maximum.

Bangladesh chase collapse from over 14

At the end of the 13th over Bangladesh were 109 for 3 and needed 60 off 42. Then it unravelled. Najmul Hossain Shanto fell next ball trying to slog-sweep Abrar. Towhid Hridoy edged Mohammad Wasim Jr to slip. Litton Das's dismissal in the 16th started the procession. The lower order was carved up by Naseem Shah's yorkers in the 18th and 19th, and Bangladesh fell short by 22 with seven wickets going down for 37 runs.

Why this scoreboard reads worse for Bangladesh than the first T20I

The first match Bangladesh were never in — Shaheen took it away in the powerplay. The second they had completely set up. The middle-overs spin attack of Mehidy and Mahedi had restricted Pakistan to 168. Litton was anchoring. The chase was on rails until over 13. Losing it from there is a structural failure, not a one-bowler defeat.

What Pakistan's 168 says about middle-overs construction

Pakistan are still over-reliant on Babar Azam to write the spine of an innings. The Saim-Rizwan opening pair has not produced a powerplay total above 50 in either match. The finishers are working — Salman Ali Agha and Faheem Ashraf are doing real work in overs 16-20 — but the middle-overs gear change still depends on whether Babar is at the crease.

What is next

The third T20I returns to Mirpur on May 11. Pakistan can complete a clean sweep. Bangladesh must rebuild without the dressing-room politics dominating the team-room conversation again.

Internal links

• Pakistan Tour Bangladesh May 2026 T20I Series Recap
• Dressing Room Row Bangladesh 2026 Shakib Tamim Rift Resurfaces
• PAK vs BD 1st T20I May 2026 Mirpur Recap

A win for Pakistan that exposed how shallow their middle-overs batting is, and a loss for Bangladesh that exposed how brittle their middle order remains. Both teams have homework before the third T20I.