FAISALABAD, Sept 12: Yousuf Youhana struck a fine century as Pakistan trounced poor Bangladesh by 74 runs at the Iqbal Stadium on Friday to go 2-0 up in the five-match One-day International series.

Youhana came to the rescue of his team with a well-controlled and watchful innings of 106 that was the cornerstone of Pakistan’s respectable total of 243 for eight.

Bangladesh started their chase confidently but once again, the middle and lower batting proved to be the visiting team’s Achilles heel as the last seven wickets crashing for only 41 runs in 14.3 overs.

Two players came out of the second One-day International with credit.

Rajin Saleh has been a revelation for Bangladesh on this tour. The 19-year-old continued his good progress that began in the Tests by producing an excellent all-round performance. First he claimed three for 48 with his Carl Hooper’s bowling style off-spin and then played a good knock of 64, the only worthwhile contribution in the entire Bangladesh’s innings.

Rajin, a diminutive right-hander, played some punchy drives and cut powerfully to hammer eight boundaries while negotiating 93 balls.

The other player under spotlight was medium-pacer Junaid Zia, who like Rajin was playing in his second game a level. He ended the match on Friday by taking the last three wickets to fall. Given a second spell from the Pavilion End, he sent back Alok Kapali (chipping a high catch to Younis Khan at mid-wicket), Mohammad Rafique and Hasibul Hossain in 11 balls.

Shoaib Malik also bowled tidily to claim three wickets for 34 runs in his quota of 10 overs.

Miandad admitted afterwards that his charges took Bangladesh a bit easy in this game. “We could have won the match by a bigger margin had the players taken them (Bangladesh). But the way the guys came back into the game pleased me most.”

Earlier, Bangladesh did a commendable containing job against the hosts to restrict them to 243 for eight after Inzamam-ul-Haq called correctly for the second time in a row at the toss.

Youhana anchored the innings splendidly in notching up his second hundred against Bangladesh in one-dayers, to follow an unbeaten 112 at Dhaka in early 2002, after coming to the crease at 45 for one in the 11th over of Pakistan’s innings.

The 29-year-old right-hander entertained a boisterous, and sometimes rowdy, crowd of over 20,000 with some deft and delicate strokes, interspersed by those familiar nudges and glides, on way to his ninth century in 141 One-day Internationals.

Umpire Russell Tiffin once again found himself under microscope after refusing to give Youhana caught behind when the batsman, batting on 77 then, apparently nicked the ball into Khaled Mashud’s gloves while trying to Rajin Saleh.

Perhaps, the 44-year-old Zimbabwean, standing in his 67th ODI and ridiculed in the media for a number of poor judgments in the recent Test series, may not have heard the sound of ball hitting the bat purely because of the unbearably, and almost unstoppable, loud noise of bugles and drum-beating blurting from various corners of the compact stadium.

Nonetheless, Bangladesh have every right to feel aggrieved because had Youhana been adjudged out at that point of time, Pakistan, probably, would have reached a total that was based around the contribution of their batting hero.

Mohammad Hafeez and Yasir Hameed started with a bright opening partnership of 45 in 10overs before the pair went within three deliveries of each other in medium-pacer Mushfiqur Rahman’s first over.

Yasir was bowled for 15 while Hafeez after hitting four boundaries in making 26 off 36 balls, chased a wide one but only managed to get a faint edge to wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud.

That departure of Hafeez brought together Youhana and Inzamam in the highest stand of the match that yielded 87 runs in 110 balls.

Inzamam looked on course for a big innings. But having reached 41, he charged down the wicket at Rafique, the slow left-armer, missed the ball completely. The Pakistan captain hit five fours during his 46-ball innings.

Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq came and went in quick successions but wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal provided the support Youhana needed at the fall of the sixth wicket at 177. The pair added 53 with Kamran scoring 26 off 28 balls. Both hit a six, the only two of the match.

Youhana, who struck seven fours as well in his 127-ball knock, was declared the Man-of-the-Match.