Bangladesh knocked out after Afridi and Fakhar vogue massive Pakistan win

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.

The win was arrange by a commanding efficiency from Shaheen Shah Afridi – now the quickest to 100 ODI wickets for fast bowlers and the main wicket-taker at this World Cup – to dismiss Bangladesh for 204. Fakhar Zaman, freshly recalled to the aspect, then turned in his finest displaying in months, a classic 74-ball 81 that set Pakistan up for a win that gave each their confidence and web run-rate a shot within the arm.

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.

Bangladesh’s finest passage of play adopted, a 79-run partnership between Litton Das and Mahmudullah that reset the innings and undid the early injury considerably. It helped that Pakistan’s premier legspinner Usama Mir had one other off day, unable to land his lengths persistently. He discovered himself usually punished, significantly by Mahmudullah, who regarded by far probably the most achieved batter.

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.

Bangladesh rebuilt, however the momentum had been sapped proper out of the innings. Shakib Al Hasan took his time to get going, and as soon as Afridi got here again, he cleaned Mahmudullah up with an unplayable reverse-swinging supply from across the wicket. With reverse swing coming into play in an enormous means for the ultimate 15 overs, Bangladesh’s lower-order batters discovered themselves at an additional drawback, and Pakistan started to use the squeeze as Babar Azam rotated his bowlers with uncommon judiciousness.
Only when Shakib belatedly determined to tackle the spinners did Bangladesh appear to be displaying any intent. Iftikhar was slapped for 3 boundaries and Mehidy Hasan Miraz deposited Usama for a six over cow nook, so Babar went again to Rauf’s tempo, and he struck in his first over, eliminating Shakib. It then took Mohammad Wasim simply seven balls to wash up the tail, Mehidy, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman discovering their stumps knocked again as they folded for 204.
A sedate first three overs noticed Pakistan’s openers play themselves in, however Fakhar specifically was loosening his arms. After three runs in 11 balls, he thumped Taskin for an enormous six over sq. leg that bought him going. He would later say that he did not thoughts how the pitch performed as a result of he knew he might hit sixes wherever, some extent he demonstrated via his innings as sixes usually punctuated dot deliveries. Within the powerplay, he and Abdullah Shafique introduced up the half-century partnership, and with Shafique becoming a member of within the run fest, the stand raced in the direction of three figures.

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

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