Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Bangladesh National Cricket Team Timeline: The cricketing tale involving Pakistan and Bangladesh has certainly been fascinating in terms of dominance, development, upsets, and rising rivalry. While it was evident in the early years of battle, the pendulum has swung gradually as Bangladesh has emerged as a competitive nation in international cricket. This timeline explains thoroughly the development of this cricketing rivalry throughout the Test series, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), from their first meetings until today.
Test Cricket: From Insurmountable Dominance to a Turning Point
The first Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh was played on August 29, 2001, in Multan. At this stage of their development, Bangladesh had recently earned the status of Test cricket and their inexperience was obvious. The match result, with an innings and 264 runs, painted an overwhelming picture of how the first years of the cricketing rivalry would unfold. We see this happen again and again as Pakistan managed to earn an innings victory on several occasions, which included the Test matches held in Dhaka and Chattogram in 2002 and in 2011.
The Test series during 2003 gave some slightly competitive matches with a thrilling one-wicket victory for Pakistan at Multan. However, Bangladesh did not gain any victory and Pakistan remained the king of the format until 2021.
Pakistan’s dominance was finally broken spectacularly in 2024 when Bangladesh achieved their first victory in their Test history against Pakistan, ten wickets on August 21, 2024, at Rawalpindi. To complete the historic double, Bangladesh won by six wickets a mere nine days later, at the same venue. These two victories for Bangladesh changed the course of their historic rivalry against Pakistan. Bangladesh went from a team riddled with the inability to play for five days of cricket to dominating Pakistan on Pakistan’s own turf.
In fifteen Tests played, Pakistan has won 12, Bangladesh two, and there has been one drawn match. The tide has turned more recently,
ODI Cricket: From Control to Moments of Brilliance
The two teams first met in ODI cricket on March 31, 1986, in the John Player Gold Leaf Trophy. Pakistan won the match comfortably, and for the next twenty-plus years, they continued to win convincingly. From 1986 – 2014, Pakistan won nearly all of their ODIs against Bangladesh, including many wins that were by convincing margins over 100 runs on numerous occasions, many in tournament settings (Asia Cup, bilateral series, etc.). It was all predictable, is what I am saying.
On June 8, 1999, the script was flipped altogether when Bangladesh scored an upset in the Cricket World Cup. During their group match in Northampton, they produced a shocking 62-run victory over Pakistan, completely altering the Pakistani cricket landscape and creating a memorable memory in Bangladeshi cricket that they would remember for years to come. After the upset victory in 1999, it took until 2015 before they made this upset a trend as opposed to just a standalone experience.
In April 2015, Bangladesh hosted Pakistan for a three-match ODI series in Dhaka that concluded with the hosts winning 3-0. Bangladesh, in the first match, won by 79 runs; in the second, by seven wickets; and in the third, by eight wickets. This was an emphatic performance, a statement signaling that Bangladesh had come of age as an ODI team. Apart from that, this was monumental as Bangladesh not only won the series, but they managed to completely outplay Pakistan in all facets of the game.
In spite of that, Pakistan could still claim to be overall superior in the years following that series. They defeated Bangladesh in the 2019 World Cup and have won again in the 2023 World Cup and Asia Cup. Until Bangladesh gets a bit of consistency to match their improvement and really develops a team to compete, Pakistan will stay ahead overall in their ODI rivalry, even if Bangladesh deserves commendation in their rise.
Pakistan and Bangladesh together have met on the field in 39 ODIs, with a record of Pakistan winning 34 of them and Bangladesh winning only five. While the numbers are decisively skewed in Pakistan’s favor, it is undeniable the gap has decreased over the course of the past decade.
T20I Cricket: A Short-Form Rivalry
The rivalry itself has shifted from its slower and more methodical rivalry to that of a rapid-fire rivalry. Interestingly enough, Pakistan and Bangladesh’s first T20I match was not until 2007, and Pakistan handled them easily – the match seemed far from competitive. Pakistan occupied the T20 game for a while, and in the first years of T20 Cricket from 2007-2014, Bangladesh had failed to win, and they were at the receiving end of Pakistan’s T20 batting firepower.
As mentioned previously in the ODI segment above, in 2015, Bangladesh had finally found a foothold. Bangladesh had well and truly defeated Pakistan in T20I cricket by seven wickets – by doing so, Bangladesh achieved their first win ever against Pakistan in T20I cricket on April 24, 2015 in Dhaka. Bangladesh even managed to win again against Pakistan in 2016 T20I on the same grounds as before. This surely proved that Bangladesh was not a minnow team in any of the game formats, and they managed to defeat one of the top teams in the format under the pressure of a short format.
Nevertheless, Pakistan often had the upper hand in most T20I encounters following his retirement. The important T20I series in Lahore versus Bangladesh in January 2020, for example, was won by Pakistan 2-0. Pakistan also won at home in T20I series in both 2021 and 2022 against Bangladesh, in addition to neutral venues in New Zealand and Australia.
There was a competitive jump in 2025 though when a T20I series was played in July 2025 in Bangladesh. The two teams entered the series fairly evenly matched but the hosts had won their first two matches — the first by 7 wickets and the second by 8 runs – before Pakistan decisively won the last match by 74 runs to win the series 2-1.
The two sides have played 25 T20Is thus far, with Pakistan winning 20 and Bangladesh winning five. The relative quickness of games in T20I format has allowed Bangladesh to play nail-biting encounters on more occasions than they could in the longer forms of the game, while proving to be troublesome for Pakistan on occasions, especially at home.
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Transitioning of Rivalry over Time
Like the dynamics of any sport rivalry, the cricketing rivalry between Pakistan and Bangladesh has undergone a major transition over the past 40 years since Bangladesh became a cricketing side. In the early years, Pakistan was the dominant heavyweight, while Bangladesh basically did not hold a candle. However, over the years and with consistent growth invested into their cricketing systems, strategy, and frameworks for competencies, Bangladesh has transitioned from a side that could surprise teams to a side that is looking capable of competing with teams at a higher level of performance.
What started as a lopsided rivalry has transitioned into a competitive rivalry, especially in the limited-overs formats. The few limited-overs victories for Bangladesh have sparked some life into a boring, once predictable story. Bangladesh’s Test victories in 2024 were even more critical as they removed a monkey from their back and started to recraft the plotline to their expected limitations in red-ball cricket.
Pakistan has remained a tough enemy upon whose cricketing talent, depth, and experience puts Pakistan ahead most times. However, now they do not walk onto the field of play against Bangladesh with the amount of confidence their predecessors had.
The likes of Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka have become citadels for Bangladesh that have been proved to knock off more difficult opponents. In the meantime, Pakistan have used historical venues like Gaddafi Stadium and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to re-establish prestige that had lapsed. The rivalry has moved forward not only in terms of the contest, but also the integration of fan interest and passion.
Looking Ahead: An Expanding Rivalry
As the cricketing calendar increases, Pakistan and Bangladesh will be meeting more regularly in bilateral series, ICC tournaments and competitions, Asia Cup; both countries have provided commitments to develop youth players, consolidate and evolve consistency, thus we can expect even better contests in the future.
The timeline of this rivalry captures the trajectory of the overall Asian cricket. From a phase where inconsistency and inequity ruled, we now enter a phase of uncertainty, a competitive playing field. The previous scenario of Pakistan vs. Bangladesh not being a ‘foregone’ conclusion had very clearly been established. Now, the fans view the matches as going to be a contest – not because they necessarily know the winner, but because the potential is unknown. The unknown has the potential to exude excitement; it can create inspiration for players and intrigue amongst fans.
As the sport grows within the two countries, this timeline will grow and develop with many new chapters yet to happen.
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