Pakistan 205 for 3 (Fakhar 81, Shafique 68, Mehidy 3-60) beat Bangladesh 204 (Mahmudullah 56, Litton 45, Shakib 43, Afridi 3-23, Wasim 3-31) by seven wickets
Pakistan put of their most convincing efficiency of the World Cup to finish their longest World Cup shedding run, trouncing a dismal Bangladesh by seven wickets and maintaining their faint hopes of semi-final qualification alive.
It felt like a basic Pakistan efficiency proper from the outset, first-over Afridi wicket and all. He trapped Tanzid Hasan off the fifth ball to push as much as 100 wickets and, making the most of a shifting ball, bought his second in his subsequent over, getting Najmul Hossain Shanto caught at sq. leg. Haris Rauf made it three, hitting again after being spanked for 3 boundaries in his first over, drawing an edge from Mushfiqur Rahim that despatched him on his means.
The turning level got here when Litton fell with the softest of dismissals in opposition to a innocent supply from Iftikhar Ahmed, an extended hop which the batter wafted as much as quick midwicket. Litton stood transfixed in dismay for practically half a minute on the crease, nearly as if his physique wouldn’t allow him to stroll off.
Mustafizur was a selected favorite recipient of Shafique’s ire, as he was pummelled for 3 successive boundaries within the twelfth over earlier than Fakhar slapped Mehidy for an additional six. His fifth of the innings introduced up his half-century, a slap off Taskin again over the bowler’s head mentioning the landmark, whereas Shafique eased to his personal half-century in the identical over. Shafique additionally performed maybe the shot of the day, a smear over cow nook off Taskin that flew all the way in which, and at the moment, Pakistan regarded like they had been racing in the direction of a ten-wicket win.
Mehidy did his bit to make sure the ignominy wasn’t fairly as extreme, taking three wickets (the one ones Pakistan misplaced) to stem the stream. Shafique fell first, sweeping throughout the road, whereas Babar, who by no means actually bought going, holed out to long-on earlier than he bought into double-figures. And whereas Fakhar had hit two sixes off Mehidy, he was courageous sufficient to maintain pitching it up, utilizing a variation in tempo to get him to mistime one to the midwicket boundary. Fakhar had fallen for 81 though he had regarded nailed-on for 100,
It would not matter an excessive amount of ultimately as a flurry of boundaries from Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar noticed Pakistan coast via with greater than 17 overs to spare. It ended a pall of gloom that had settled over the aspect during the last fortnight, and whereas Bangladesh are formally out, Pakistan, have proven the primary indicators of rising from a slumber.
Source web site: www.espncricinfo.com