Bangladesh collapsed for 204, with Mohammad Wasim taking just seven balls to tidy out the tail while Pakistan easily won with almost 17 overs remaining thanks to a flurry of boundaries from Iftikhar and Mohammad Rizwan and it lifted the cloud of doom that has been hanging over the team for the past two weeks, and although Bangladesh is now officially eliminated.
Bangladesh had won the toss and decided to bat first. Shaheen trapped Tanzid Hasan off the fifth ball to reach 100 wickets.
Using a moving ball, he then claimed his second wicket in his next over, trapping Najmul Hossain Shanto at square leg. Having been spanked for three boundaries in his opening over, Haris Rauf made it three by getting an edge from Mushfiqur Rahim that sent him on his way.
Then came the best bit of play for Bangladesh, a 79-run partnership between Litton Das and Mahmudullah that turned the tide of the innings and somewhat repaired the early losses.
The fact that Usama Mir, Pakistan’s best leg spinner, was struggling to consistently land his lengths on the pitch contributed to the situation. Mahmudullah, who appeared to be the most skilled batter, was the one who consistently punished him.
Iftikhar Ahmed delivered a harmless delivery that Litton blew up to short midwicket, and the batsman fell with the softest of dismissals. This was the pivotal moment. It seemed as though Litton’s body would not let him move from the crease for nearly half a minute, as he stood there completely stunned.
Bangladesh recovered though they had lost momentum early in the innings. After Afridi returned, Shakib Al Hasan took his time to get going and destroyed Mahmudullah with an unplayable reverse-swinging delivery from close to the wicket.
Bangladesh’s lower-order hitters found themselves at a further disadvantage when reverse swing came into play heavily for the last 15 overs. Babar Azam then used his bowlers with rare judiciousness to create pressure as Pakistan started to put pressure on Bangladesh.
Bangladesh didn’t appear to have any intention until Shakib decided, perhaps belatedly, to take on the spinners. After Iftikhar was given three boundaries and Mehidy Hasan Miraz got Usama for a six over cow corner, Babar resumed Rauf’s pace and removed Shakib with a strike in his over.
Then, Mehidy, Taskin Ahmed, and Mustafizur Rahman found their stumps knocked back as they collapsed for 204, with Mohammad Wasim taking just seven balls to tidy out the tail.
Pakistan’s openers played themselves into a quiet first three overs, but Fakhar Zaman in particular was extending his arms. He got rolling after hitting three runs in 11 balls when he hammered Taskin for a massive six-over square leg.
Later, he would add that he didn’t care how the pitch played since he was confident in his ability to hit sixes anyplace. Throughout his innings, he provided evidence for this claim by frequently hitting sixes to break the dot deliveries.
He and Abdullah Shafique brought up the half-century partnership throughout the power play, and when Shafique joined the run-fest, the stand quickly approached three figures.
Shafique was especially fond of punishing Mustafizur, who in the 12th over was hit for three successive boundaries before Mehidy was slapped by Fakhar for another six.
During the same over, Shafique easily reached his half-century, while his sixth of the innings was marked by a smack off Taskin back over the bowler’s head. Pakistan appeared to be heading for a ten-wicket victory when Shafique struck what may have been the shot of the day—a smear over cow corner off Taskin that sailed all the way.
Mehidy took three wickets (the only ones Pakistan lost) to stop the bleeding, doing his part to lessen the humiliation. Before Babar could reach double figures, he holed out to long-on, Shafique fell first and swept across the line. Babar never really got going.
Although Fakhar had already smashed two sixes off Mehidy, he showed courage by continuing to pitch it up and timing one to the midwicket boundary using a variation in pace. Despite looking perfect for a hundred, Fakhar had fallen for 81.
It wouldn’t matter too much in the end, as Pakistan easily won with almost 17 overs remaining thanks to a flurry of boundaries from Iftikhar and Mohammad Rizwan.
It lifted the cloud of doom that has been hanging over the team for the past two weeks, and although Bangladesh is now officially eliminated, the late Pakistan charge that has dogged so many ICC tournaments is beginning to emerge.
Babar Azam:
“Credit to the boys, the way they played in all three departments. We know how well Fakhar plays when he’s going. Good to see he does it. We are trying to win our remaining matches and see where we stand. This win hopefully gives confidence in the coming matches. Shaheen started well with the ball. After 15-20 overs, they built a partnership. But our main bowlers struck. The main thing was our bowlers hit good lengths and took wickets. Thanks to the fans for supporting me and my team.”
Shakib Al Hasan:
“Not enough runs. The wicket was really good. We lost an early wicket. We had partnerships but not big ones that’d allowed us to go big in the last ten. We should’ve bowled better too. Pakistan did well in the first ten overs, credit to them too. We have to think about my batting order. I was batting early and didn’t score runs. My confidence was low too. In this stage, changing too many things seems difficult. We are trying to force things but it isn’t working. At this moment, we have to perform together, which is not happening. We are looking for answers but aren’t getting it. Everywhere we go; fans come to the ground and are always behind us. They are our biggest strength.”
Fakhar Zaman, POTM:
“Time off helped. I practiced a lot after the Asia Cup. I felt good in the camp. I wanted to score big but, you know, it’s cricket. I was talking to Abdullah that I’ll see off the first four overs and then hit sixes regardless of how the pitch will play because I know I can and I know my role. NRR was in our minds. After 100, we were looking to finish the game before 30 overs. After too many failures, I was just looking to score the first 30 and struggling. Hopefully, I’ll make it big in the coming games.”