Yousuf puts Pakistan in strong position

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In the first game of a series hastily arranged after Australia withdrew from their scheduled tour on security grounds, Pakistan were 38 for two and 70 for three before a dominant partnership between Yousuf and Shoaib Malik turned things in their favour.

Yousuf struck an unbeaten 108 and Malik added 85 in a stand of 145 for the fourth wicket, leaving Bangladesh with a mammoth victory target of 323.

Pakistan captain Malik won the toss and elected to bat, a decision which looked questionable when they lost early wickets.

Nasir Jamshed (20) was getting into his stride - he had smashed a widish delivery for four the previous delivery - when he edged Farhad Reza through to Dhiman Ghosh. And the wicketkeeper again safely held on when Younus Khan strode down the pitch to Mashrafe Mortaza with just one run to his name.

Salman Butt (33) was next to go - another victim of the Reza-Dhiman combination - but that was as good as it got for Bangladesh.

Yousuf and Malik wasted no time in upping the run-rate, which was around four at the time.

Malik was the main aggressor and he took a particular liking to Aftab Ahmed, collecting back-to-back boundaries in the 22nd over.

He reached 50 with a single off Shakib Al Hasan, which seemed to spur Yousuf on - he hit a brace of boundaries in the next over.

The Bangladesh bowlers had no answer as the pair plundered runs at will - and the wicket, when it did come, was only as a result of some mis-timed aggression from Malik.