Eden Gardens – In a bid to secure their place in the 50-overs World Cup semi-finals, former champions Pakistan exhibited a dominant performance, defeating Bangladesh by seven wickets.
Electing to bat, Bangladesh found themselves in an early collapse and managed to post a modest total of 204 runs before being dismissed in the 46th over at the iconic Eden Gardens.
Pakistan’s formidable pace trio proved their mettle, making significant inroads both at the start and in the death overs. While Bangladesh struggled to build partnerships, Mahmudullah’s resilient 56 was the sole half-century for the team.
The performance of Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi, who claimed 3-23, was particularly commendable. His efforts, combined with Fakhar Zaman’s aggressive 81 from 74 balls and Abdullah Shafique’s composed 68 from 69 deliveries, enabled Pakistan to chase down the target with 105 balls to spare.
This victory has rekindled Pakistan’s slim chances of reaching the semi-finals, accumulating six points from seven matches. Their prospects now hinge on securing victories against New Zealand (scheduled for November 4 in Bengaluru) and England (set for November 11 in Kolkata), while hoping for favorable outcomes in other matches.
In contrast, Bangladesh has become the first team to exit the ten-team competition, with only one win from seven games. To bolster their net run-rate, Zaman and Shafique propelled Pakistan to 128 by the 22nd over.
Shafique, showcasing his prowess, struck nine boundaries and two sixes, securing his third half-century of the tournament in addition to a century. However, he was eventually dismissed leg-before by spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, while skipper Babar Azam fell to the same bowler for just nine runs.
Zaman, who had recovered from a knee injury to replace Imam-ul-Haq in one of three changes for Pakistan, delivered a fiery performance with seven sixes and three boundaries, achieving his 16th ODI fifty. Nonetheless, he departed in the 28th over after being caught by Miraz. Mohammad Rizwan (26) and Iftikhar Ahmed (17) ensured Pakistan’s victory with a modest chase.
Miraz was a standout performer for Bangladesh’s bowling attack, concluding with figures of 3-60. However, his efforts were not sufficient to avert the defeat.
Earlier, Pakistan’s pace triumvirate, including Shaheen, Wasim (3-31), and Haris Rauf (2-36), wreaked havoc on Bangladesh’s batting lineup. The Eden Gardens pitch, characterized by its dry and sluggish nature, posed a challenge for the Bangladeshi batsmen.
Bangladesh, who opted to bat first, struggled to breach the 200-run mark, with Mahmudullah’s valiant 56, Liton Das’s contribution of 45, and skipper Shakib Al Hasan’s 43 being the notable performances.
Shaheen Afridi, in particular, made a strong impact in the early overs, dismissing Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto. His dismissal of Tanzid Hasan marked his 100th wicket in ODI cricket, making him the 21st Pakistani bowler to achieve this milestone. Haris Rauf also chipped in, accounting for the veteran Mushfiqur Rahim’s wicket.
A significant partnership between Mahmudullah and Liton offered some resistance, guiding Bangladesh to a total of 102 runs before Iftikhar Ahmed terminated Liton’s innings. Mahmudullah’s knock featured a six and six boundaries, but Shaheen Afridi’s second spell ended his impressive effort, clean bowling him with a skillful outswinger.
Shakib, who had encountered a lackluster tournament, continued his underwhelming performance by mistiming a shot off Rauf and getting caught by Agha Salman.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz contributed a brisk 25, but his efforts were not enough to alter the course of the match. Pakistan’s Wasim, making timely breakthroughs, dismissed Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, and Mustafizur Rahman in successive overs as Bangladesh’s lower order crumbled, losing their last six wickets for just 74 runs.
Shaheen Afridi now shares the top wicket-taker position at the World Cup with 16 scalps, matching Australian spinner Adam Zampa.
Stay tuned for more World Cup action as the tournament unfolds.
