Haris Rauf delivered a couple of hostile spells while Imam-ul-Haq scored a silky 78 as Pakistan secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in an Asian Cup Super Four clash, here on Wednesday.
Rauf (6-0-19-4) proved too quick for the Bangladeshi batsmen, who were also relentlessly pestered by Naseem Shah (5.4-0-34-3) after Shakib-Al-Hasan opted to hit.
Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for a paltry 193 in just 38.4 overs, despite a 100-run standing and twin half-centuries from Shakib (53 from 57 balls) and former captain Mushfiqur Rahim (64 from 87 balls).
The goal was never going to pose a problem for the hosts, who achieved it in just 39.3 overs.
Even as Fakhar Zaman’s slump continued and Babar Azam was taken advantage of by a delivery from Taskin Ahmed that stayed low, the lefty Imam was the epitome of grace in the path of his 84-ball strike.
In all, he hit five fours and four sixes while leading the innings in the company of Mohammad Rizwan (63 not out for 79 balls). The duo added 85 runs for the third wicket and ensured there were no hiccups in the chase.
Two of his six: a midfield shooting shot off Mehidy Hasan Miraj and an inside-out loft against Shakib testified to Imam’s talent.
Pakistan will now head to Colombo once again to take on arch-rivals India in their second Super Four match on Sunday.
Previously, Bangladesh suffered two batting collapses: first, the top order disappeared in the Power Play and the bottom middle order fell like a deck of cards towards the end of the innings. They were reduced to 47 for 4 during the first Powerplay and again lost six wickets for 47 runs between overs 30 to 39.
Rauf terrified the batsmen with great pace, while Naseem (3/34 in 5.4 overs) also added seam and swing.
The trouble started in the second over when last match centurion Mehidy Hasan Miraj (0) bowled the first pitch facing Naseem into the hands of the middle wicket.
Mohammed Naim (20) and Litton Das (16) hit a boundary flurry between them, taking the score to 31 before Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/42 in 7 overs) got one to edge past the latter, who could only fight back. awkwardly allowing Mohammed Rizwan to complete the formalities.
After that, Rauf, coming into a changeup, began to swing the bat faster than the opposition’s willowbearers could have imagined.
A long-range hitter, Rauf had Naim tight for space as he attempted a shot, but all he could do was offer up a simple return catch.
Towhid Hridoy (2) wasn’t up to the task as Rauf went a bit wide and banked over 140km/h. Hridoy couldn’t get his bat down and was castled.
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Shakib and Mushfiqur, the seasoned defenders of many battles for Bangladesh over the past decade and a half, then steadied the ship, but the high-level failure left them with too much to do.
Without Mohammed Nawaz in the lineup, Pakistan had four pacemakers operating and the duo had to carry out the rescue act.
Once Shakib was bowled deep by Faheem Ashraf (1/27 in 7 overs), the Bangladesh innings went off the rails.
First published in: 06/09/2023 22:29 IST
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