Opener Salman Butt smashed a
record-breaking century to help Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 150 runs
in the fifth and final day-night international for a 5-0 series
whitewash.
The left-hander scored a career-best 136 to lift Pakistan to their
highest one-day total against Bangladesh of 9-329 in their 50 overs
before the tourists succumbed to 179 all out in 40.5 overs at the
National Stadium.
The 23-year-old
opener, who had scores of 33, 76, 132 and 74 in the series, amassed 451 in
all. It was the highest ever aggregate in a bilateral five-match one-day
series, beating countryman Mohammad Yousuf's 405 against Zimbabwe in 2002.
Pakistan's
previous highest total against Bangladesh was achieved in the first match
of this series in Lahore when they made 5-322.
The victory gave Pakistan their 11th successive one-day win, beating the
previous sequence of 10 victories achieved between April and November
1990. Australia holds the record of most successive wins, with 21 in 2003.
Butt, dropped on 57, set the tone for Pakistan's big total. He added a
record 179 runs for the second wicket with Younis Khan (69) after Pakistan
won the toss and decided to bat.
Butt, whose previous highest one-day score of 132 came in the third match
in Lahore on Sunday, hit 14 boundaries and a six during his punishing
124-ball knock.
Butt and Younis steadied the innings, after they lost
Kamran Akmal for ten. Butt reached his hundred in as many balls,
hitting nine fours and a six off spinner Shakib Al Hasan.
Younis, who returned to the squad as one of three changes, miscued a
pull off Shahadat Hossain to be caught by a running Farhad Reza at
square-leg. Younis hit four boundaries and a six during his 80-ball
knock.
His partnership with Butt is a new Pakistan record against Bangladesh,
beating the 123-run second wicket stand between Saeed Anwar and Rameez
Raja at Colombo in 1997.
