Pakistan’s dominating pacers, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, have delivered a dominant performance to secure a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the inaugural Super 4 clash of the Asia Cup on Wednesday.
Bangladesh batters couldn’t hold their stand against Haris Rauf’s bolstering pace. In fact, they were blown up by all three pace bowlers. The partnership between Mushfiqur Rahim (64) and Captain Shakib Al Hasan (53) provided a glimmer of hope for Bangladesh, forming a century stand, but as soon as Rauf was brought into the attack, Bangladesh suffered ill fortune and succumbed to 193 in 38.4 overs.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (1-42) managed to dismiss the crucial wicket of the returning Litton Das in initial over. From the beginning of the match, Bangladesh remained on the backfoot, they tried to catch up the game and for a brief period, they managed to solidify their innings but once Shakib was dismissed by Faheem Ashraf, things fell apart like a pack of cards.
Imam-ul-Haq (78) and Mohammad Rizwan (63 not out) guided Pakistan to a comfortable 194-3 with over 10 overs to spare.
Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, praised his team, especially the performance of their pacers in the initial 10 overs, saying, “We noticed that fast bowlers were getting some assistance, and winning always boosts your confidence.”
Imam faced three close leg-before-wicket appeals, with Bangladesh squandering both of their television referrals before the left-hander reached his fifth ODI half-century in the last eight games. Imam also successfully overturned an on-field lbw decision via TV referral before eventually falling to Mehidy Hasan Miraz when attempting a slog sweep.
Rizwan took over, showcasing his trademark sweep shots and executing impressive inside-out boundaries against the spinners over extra cover.
Fakhar Zaman struggled initially, managing only 20 off 31 balls before falling leg before wicket to Shoriful Islam in the final over of the powerplay. Taskin Ahmed then dismissed Babar Azam with a delivery that kept low, as the Pakistan skipper played the ball back onto his stumps. However, Imam and Rizwan’s 89-run partnership sealed the win.
In the early stages, Mehidy handed an easy catch to square leg off Naseem Shah’s first delivery before Bangladesh had put any runs on the board. Das, making his first appearance in the tournament, edged Afridi after playing a couple of impressive cover drives against the Pakistan pacers, while Mohammad Naim succumbed to Rauf’s pace as Bangladesh slumped to 45-3 within the batting powerplay.
Al Hasan and Mushfiqur then exhibited confidence against Pakistan’s pacers and spinners, amassing 12 boundaries between them, before Ashraf finally made the breakthrough in the 30th over. Rauf returned to have Mushfiqur and Taskin caught behind off consecutive deliveries, while Naseem, who briefly left the field due to a shoulder injury, returned and swiftly wrapped up the tail.
The One Day International (ODI) tournament now shifts to Sri Lanka, where Pakistan is set to face archrival India on Sunday, following their rain-affected group-stage encounter. Meanwhile, Bangladesh will square off against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
