Pak vs Ban – Asia Cup: Green Shirts achieve comfortable win over Tigers with 10 overs to spare

Mohammad Rizwan sealed the victory with a boundary after a brisk half-century. This win is Pakistan’s first of the Super 4 stage, as the host’s dazzling pacers overwhelmed the Tigers’ batting line-up. Despite losing Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam early, the paltry total proved to be a cakewalk for the number 1 one-day side.

President Dr Arif Alvi, Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman and Zaka Ashraf, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s interim Management Committee, are also among those watching today’s match in person.

Shakib brought himself on for the 36th over as the Bangladeshi skipper looked to make something happen for his side. He bowled a good over as Shakib gave away only a single off his six balls.

Mehidy was kept on for his 10th over by Shakib as the pairing of Agha and Rizwan gathered five singles from his last over. Mehidy finished his 10 overs for 51 and took one wicket.

Shakib was dispatched for a boundary by Rizwan on the first delivery of his fifth over. A lofted shot over the infield took Pakistan closer to the target. Three singles from 38th ended Shakib’s over as Pakistan needed 14 from 12 overs.

Four singles and a boundary brought the required to less than 10 runs. Shamim was brought on for his first over in the 39th over and leaked eight runs.

It took three balls of Shakib’s sixth over for Pakistan to score the remaining six runs. Pakistan chased down 194 against Bangladesh to win the first game of the Super four by seven wickets and 10.3 overs remaining.

The home side comfortably ticked the score along as the duo gathered five runs off Mehidy’s seventh over.

A stable session from Pakistan forced Shakib to bring in Hasan Mahmud to replace himself. Mahmud kept it tight and at length, giving away only a single in the 32nd over.

Imam rocked back on the second ball of Mehidy’s eighth and the ball sailed over the fence for a six. He went after Mehidy again on the fourth ball, pulling him for a boundary past square. The Bangladeshi spinner though struck through a full delivery that drifted in as Imam’s slog sweep failed to connect. Imam departed after a good innings of 78 of 84 balls with five fours and four sixes. Salman Ali Agha came down after Imam to face the last delivery of the 33rd over.

Mahmud continued with his seventh over as Pakistan needed 35 runs from 17 overs. The unlucky bowler found Rizwan’s edge which flew past the keeper for a boundary. No slip in pace helped the wicketkeeper as Pakistan looked to chase the target early.

Mehidy began his second last over for the innings against Salman who looked wary of the spinner. Just two singles from the 34th over brought Pakistan’s score to 167 for a loss of three wickets.

A cheeky scoop on the second ball of the 26th from Rizwan welcomed the visitor’s skipper Shakib to the crease. Shakib went for six in what was a much-awaited first over.

Mehidy gave away only three runs in the 27th over as the home side now needed 71 runs from 23 overs.

Shakib was dispatched over the ropes by Imam in his second over. A tossed-up delivery brought Imam down the track and hammered it over long off. Nine runs off the 28th as the pair started to up the ante.

Mehidy was swept for a boundary on the first delivery by Rizwan as he continued on with his sixth over. Three singles from the over brought leaked a total of seven runs in the 29th over.

Pakistan’s tally reached 142 with three singles in the 30th over off Shakib Al Hasan.

Mehidy gave away three singles in the 21st over as the Pakistani batters cautiously trodded along.

Three runs of Shoriful Islam’s seventh over kept the score ticking for the home side. The required run rate was still at 3.5 runs per over.

Rizwan paddle-scooped Mehidy fine past Mushfiqur for a boundary on the fourth ball of the 23rd over. Six runs of the third took Pakistan’s score past the 100-run mark.

Shoriful was kept on by Shakib for what was his eighth over of the innings. Two off the bat and a wide ball kept the run count at three for the over.

Imam swung the second ball of Mehidy’s fourth out of the park to get to his 19th ODI half-century. Imam rocked back as the ball dropped short outside off for the opener to dispatch it outside the boundary. Three more singles leak nine runs from the 25th over with Pakistan at 114 for the loss of two.

Taskin removed Babar with a delivery that stayed low. The uneven bounce of the Gaddafi stadium did it for the number one batsman in the world. A wicket-maiden by the pacer as Rizwan came down to bat.

Rizwan opened his account with a swipe over square leg as the ball flew over ropes. Mahmud went for 11 in his fifth over as Rizwan looked to up the ante with a six and a four.

Taskin continued with his spell bowling tight and short. Good bowling from Bangladesh’s bowler as he gave away only three runs in the 18th over.

Spinner Mehidy replaced Mahmud and trapped Imam in front of the wickets for the third time in the innings. The decision was reviewed by Imam as the finger from the umpire did go up this time. The third umpire asked the on-field umpire to overturn his decision after the ball spun sharply and missed the stumps. The over ended with only a single from it.

Another good over from Taskin ended the 20th with Pakistan’s chase at 90 for the loss of two wickets.

Mahmud began with the 11th over giving away seven runs. The pair, Imam and Babar, started ticking the score with singles and doubles. Imam had a scare on the fifth ball as Mahmud trapped him in front but the umpire was not convinced. The decision was reviewed by Shakib but was unsuccessful as the ball was pitching outside leg. Bangladesh lost a review.

Shoriful found Babar’s edge on the first ball of the 12th over but the ball flew past the fielder and reached the boundary as the home side breathed a sigh of relief. Four more runs resulted in 8 runs off Shoriful’s sixth.

Five of Mahmud’s third over took Pakistan’s score to 57 for the loss of one wicket. Babar and Imam ticked the score for the home side very nicely.

Taskin was brought back into the attack by Shakib to replace Shoriful who had bowled his first spell of six overs. Taskin, like Mahmud, trapped Imam in front as the visitors went up in appeal. Identical to the previous incident, the decision reviewed by Shakib, the ball pitched just outside leg as the bowling side lost their second review.

Mahmud continued his spell into the 15th over and proved to be expensive due to some sloppy fielding and good batting. A four and a six off the last two balls increased Pakistan’s score to 74 for the loss of one wicket. Fifteen off the 15th over.

Islam continued with the bowling after play was stopped because of an issue with one of the floodlights. Islam resumed where he left off as he kept it tight until Fakhar latched onto a short delivery for a boundary on the last ball.

Imam pulled Taskin for back-to-back boundaries in the middle of the seventh over before dispatching the last delivery across the ropes as well. There was a quick flow of runs for Pakistan after play resumed.

A good comeback from Shoriful as the Tigers gave only a single run in the eighth over.

Hasan Mahmud replaced Taskin in the ninth over, the pacer went for a single to start his spell.

Shoriful continued his good spell in the tenth over, dismissing Fakhar off the first ball of the tenth over. Fakhar departed after scoring 20 with Pakistan’s score at 35 for the loss of one wicket.

Skipper Babar Azam came down to the crease after Fakhar’s departure.

Shoriful completed the powerplay giving 2 off the 10th over. Pakistan were at 37 for the loss of one wicket.

Typical of Zaman to open innings with a bang. The opener dispatched Taskin Ahmed for two fours, one in front of square while the other nicked down the leg side. The first over ended for the hosts at eight runs at the loss of no wickets.

Shoriful Islam kept it tight in his first over as he swung the ball both ways. The pacer started off the innings with a maiden as Imam waited to get off the mark.

Pakistan started slow as the third over went for only three runs. But they have time and wickets. Taskin, however, was bowling quickly and accurately.

Islam, then bowling to Fakhar, only went for a single run in what has been a really good start from the bowling side. Pakistan stood at 12 runs at the end of the fourth over having lost no wicket.

A cautious start from Pakistan as the Tigers’ bowling attack keeps it tight. A good spell from the pair, Taskin and Islam, kept Pakistan’s score at 15 for the loss of no wickets at the end of the first five overs.

In the face of Pakistan’s formidable pace attack, Bangladesh found themselves reeling at just 50 runs, having lost four wickets early on. However, the seasoned Bangladeshi pair of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan then showcased their resilience, constructing a vital 100-run partnership.

Nonetheless, the momentum shifted when Shakib misjudged a delivery from Faheem Ashraf and was caught out near the boundary during the 30th over.
Following Shakib’s departure, Bangladesh’s next five batsmen struggled to cope with the relentless pace attack, led by Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.

They only managed to add a mere 36 runs to the scoreboard, ultimately resulting in the team being bundled out for a total of 193 runs.

Six off six from Shaheen’s 7th as Bangladesh batters were wary of the Pakistani pacer. Single off each delivery ended the 36th over for the visitor with their score placed at 182 at the loss of six wickets.

Iftikhar’s good run came to an end in the 37th over as he was dispatched by Afif Hossain for a six over the deep midwicket. Two singles off the last two balls ended the over which gave away 8 runs. Bangladesh’s score was then placed at 190 for the loss of 6 wickets.

The action-packed 38th over was bowled by Haris Rauf who dismissed the settled Mushfiqur and Taskin on back-to-back deliveries. Two regulation catches behind the wicket by Rizwan brought Haris on a hattrick which the pacer could not complete. The pacer gave two runs in the rest of the over which brought the Bangladesh score to 192 for the loss of eight wickets.

Naseem dismissed Afif on the first ball after he was brought back into the attack. The short ball worked for the pacer as Afif went for a pull and edged it in the sky. Faheem grabbed an easy catch as he ran from mid-on. He then shattered Shoriful Islam’s stumps on the fourth ball of the 39th over with the Bangladesh innings coming to a close at 193 for the loss of ten wickets.

Iftikhar continued with the 31st over and kept it tight throughout. Two runs off two singles placed the visitors’ score at 152 for five at the end of the 31st over.

Shamim Hossain and Mushfiqur kept the score ticking in the 32 over as the pair accumulated eight runs from it. Faheem was dispatched for a four through the covers, a beautiful stroke, off the last ball to bring their score to 160 for the loss of five wickets.

Back-to-back good overs from Iftikhar as the spinner gave away only three runs in the 33rd over. Three dots with three singles brought the Bangladesh score to 163 for the loss of five.

Southpaw Shaheen was brought back as Pakistan looks to close their innings with pace. The pacer proved to be expensive as he leaked 11 runs after being dispatched over the boundary towards fine leg by Shamim Hossain. Bangladesh’s score stood at 174 for the loss of five after the end of the 34th over.

Iftikhar struck in the 35th over as Shamim was caught on square leg by Imam. Iftikhar had bowled really well up until that point as the spinner forced a rash shot from Shamim after bowling three consecutive dot balls. Two runs off the last two balls placed the Bangladesh inning at 176 for the loss of six wickets.

As expected, the Tigers flexed their muscles against Salman Ali Agha who was brought into the attack replacing Haris. Two boundaries and three singles resulted in 11 runs in the 26th over. Bangladesh stood at 131 at the loss of four wickets as the experienced Mushfiqur and Shakib went out on attack.

The leggie, Shadab, continued with the 27th over and was welcomed with a boundary towards midwicket by Mushfiqur on the first ball. Four singles off it with eight runs from the over placed the Tigers’ score at 139 for four.

A well-fought half-century was completed by Bangladesh’s captain in the 28th over as he guided a shortish ball towards the middle and fine leg. Babar brought Faheem back into the attack after Agha was dispatched for 11 runs with the pacer only giving away three singles in the over. Bangladesh’s score stood at 142 for the loss of four wickets at the end of the 28th over.

Babar tested all bowlers as Iftikhar Ahmed was brought into the attack by the skipper. He gave away five runs in the 29th over with Bangladesh’s score placed at 147 for the loss of four wickets. A 100-run partnership was completed for the two batters.

Faheem got rid of Shakib on the first ball of the 30th over as Bangladesh’s skipper tried to smash the pacer to deep backward square leg. The century stand came to an end as Shakib was dismissed for a solid 53 off 57 balls. Mushfiqur, with a double of the third ball, completed his half-century as Bangladesh reached the 150-run mark in the same over. Three dots ended the over with Bangladesh’s score placed at 150 for the loss of five.

Shadab was dispatched for a boundary by Mushfiqur down the backward square leg boundary as the visitors got past the 100-run mark. Two more runs off the leggie ended the 21st with Bangladesh scoring 105.

Rauf was welcomed with a boundary by Shakib as the pacer replaced Naseem in the 22nd over and conceded six runs.

Shadab, interchanging between Naseem, Haris and Faheem, gave three runs in the 23rd over.

Four dots from Haris ended the 24th over which gave away only two singles of the first two balls.

Pakistan have begun to put pressure on the Bangladesh batters as the visitors managed to score only 12 off the previous 24 deliveries. The batting side needs to up the ante if they want to end their innings with a sizeable target.

Bangladesh’s score was placed at 120 for the loss of four at the halfway mark.

Faheem was dispatched past point for a boundary by Shakib on the fifth ball of the 15th. Two singles completed six runs in the over with Bangladesh’s score placed at 78 for the loss of four wickets.

Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim kept the Bangladesh score ticking as they rotated the strike comfortably against spinner Shadab. Five runs from the seventeenth with Bangladesh score at 83 for the loss of four.

Naseem, who had left earlier due to what looked like an injury, was brought back into the attack. It was a not-so-eventful over which conceded four runs.

Shadab continued with the spin in the 19th over. The leggie gave four runs — all singles — as the experienced Bangladesh batters settled in.

Two back-to-back boundaries from Bangladesh skipper Shakib in the 20th over as four dot balls end the 20th with the Tigers’ score at 99 for the loss of four wickets.

Faheem Ashraf continued the attack in the 11th over, giving away only three runs as Naseem was seen shadow-bowling on the sidelines.

Rauf gave six runs in the 12th over bowling with real pace. Bangladesh’s score stood at 58 for the loss of four wickets at the end of the 12th over.

Shaheen started with a wide as he was brought back into the attack in the 14th over. He was then flicked by Shakib for a boundary through square on the second ball off the over. Eight came off the over with Bangladesh’s total stood at 65.

A single off the bat and a wide gave only two runs in the 14th, which was delivered by Faheem who replaced Haris. Five dot balls.

Shadab was brought in by the skipper in the 15th over. He was dispatched for a boundary on his third delivery. Five runs off the over put Bangladesh’s total at 72 for the loss of four wickets.

Naseem was flicked for a boundary by Shakib to deep backward square leg on the last ball in what was a tidy sixth over until that point. Bangladesh’s total stood at 36 for the loss of two wickets at the end of the over.

Four byes down fine leg as a valiant fielding effort from Naseem could not stop the ball from touching the rope. The effort left the pacer lying on the rope completely still. He was then taken off the field and Mohammad Haris came in as a substitute. It doesn’t look good for Naseem. Shaheen, continuing with his over, was then dispatched for four off the pads by Naim between square leg and mid-on.

Rauf replaced Naseem to start the eighth over and struck on the third delivery. A quick short ball did the trick for the Bangladeshi opener, who looked good. Haris walked slightly to the left to catch what was his 50th ODI wicket.

Faheem, who came back into the side, replaced Shaheen to start the ninth over. A tidy over from Faheem placed the Bangladesh total 47 for three.

Rauf struck again, this time getting Towhid Hridoy who departed after scoring only two runs. A quick delivery crashed into the stumps as Hridoy tried to flick it. Only one run off the tenth as the Bangladesh score now precariously placed at 49 for the loss of four wickets.

Naseem dismissed Mehidy Hasan on the first bowl of the second over. The centurion of the last game walked off without opening his account. The safe pair of hands from Fakhar Zaman at square leg caught it. Das edged the ball wide of the point fielder to get a boundary off Naseem’s second-last delivery.

Naim flicked Shaheen to deep square leg at the start of his second over. Das also went after the southpaw on the fourth ball of the third over.

The Bangladesh score started ticking as Naseem continued in the fourth over. Naim timed the pacer through the deep backward point at the start of the over. He was then carved through the covers for two more boundaries in the same over, conceding 13 runs.

Shaheen, who was dispatched for a boundary at the start of the fifth over, edged Das with the extra bounce. Short of a length delivery and Rizwan did the rest.

Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat against Pakistan in the first Super 4 match of the Asia Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday.

Speaking after winning the toss, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said that the team would put pressure on the Green Shirts if they managed to put runs on the board.

“We want to replicate what we did against Afghanistan but we are facing the no. 1 team in the world so we need to play our best. We know what their strengths and weaknesses are,” he said.

Meanwhile, skipper Babar Azam said that if Pakistan had won the toss, the team would also have opted to bat.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (C), Fakhar Zaman, Imamul Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (C), Mohammad Naim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shamim Hossain, Afif Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud