Pakistan has now climbed to fifth spot in the points table; Bangladesh, however, has been officially knocked out of the semifinals race.
Known for its adaptability, Pakistan scripted a important- demanded reversal by thumping Bangladesh by seven lattices and recording its third palm to stay in the World Cup semifinal race at the Eden auditoriums then on Tuesday.
Taking to club on a dry pitch, Bangladesh didn’t last for 50 overs for the fourth time in its last six innings as it stuttered to 204 with Shaheen Afridi brilliantly landing three pivotal lattices. Openers Fakhar Zaman and Shafique Abdullah’s authoritative half- centuries enabled the former champion to achieve the modest target and end the four- match losing band.
The left-right combination of Fakhar and Shafique got used to the track before toying with the dispirited Bangladeshi bowlers and erecting a run-a-ball 128- run stage.
In the one- sided sub-continental dogfight, Fakhar (81), who made an emphatic return after over three weeks by clobbering seven spectacular sixes, substantially on the onside and one astoundingly over third- man, and Shafique (68), who pounded Mustafizur Rahman for three fours in an over, entertained nearly 28000 observers with some T20 stuff.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz took all three Pakistan lattices but couldn’t help the ineluctable.
Bangladesh’s Powerplay straits continued as it lost three lattices for 23.
Leading Pakistan’s pace pack, Afridi displayed his good control and uprooted confluence movement to give early improvements giving down too little. He trapped nature Tanzid Hasan lbw in the first over to come the fastest Pakistani bowler to log 100 lattices and had Najmul Shanto caught by a diving Usama Mir at short midwicket in the third.
After being hit for three fours, Haris Rauf was relieved to have Mushfiqur Rahim caught before.
A focused Litton (45) and a confident Mahmudullah (56) revived the innings. The brace’s sensible shot selection and gyration of strike forged The Barracuda ’ stylish cooperation, 79 off 89 deliveries.
Mahmudullah dominated the offside and pulled Usama for a massive six. Litton, who impressed by successively driving Rauf on either side of the wholes to the boundary, executed his cuts and drives well.
Iftikhar got relieve of Litton to break the cooperation performing in Bangladesh’s retarded run rate.
Afridi returned to coliseum a beauty from round the gate and remove Mahmudullah.
Bangladesh commander Shakib Al Hasan began watchfully before switching gears.
Mohammad Wasim, who was getting the ball to reverse, gutted up the Bangladeshi tail.
Bangladesh’s sixth back- to- back defeat let down its emotional suckers, who had to endure the pain of their platoon’s formal exit. Know More Latest Cricket News….
