Pakistan down Bangladesh to stay alive at World Cup
Views: 867Published on: 31-Oct-2023
Former champions Pakistan kept alive their slender chances of making the semi-finals of the 50-overs World Cup with a comprehensive seven-wicket victory against Bangladesh on Tuesday.
Electing to bat, Bangladesh could never really recover from a top order collapse and posted a modest 204 before being all out in the 46th over at the Eden Gardens.
Pakistan’s three-pronged pace attack impressed with the new ball and were equally effective in the death overs with only Mahmudullah (56) managing a half-century for Bangladesh.
The points table after Pakistan’s victory against Bangladesh on Tuesday. — Courtesy: ESPNCricinfo Shaheen’s 3-23 helped Pakistan dismiss Bangladesh for just 204 in 45.1 overs before Fakhar Zaman’s 74-ball 81 and Abdullah Shafique’s 69-ball 68 guided Pakistan over the line for the loss of three wickets with 105 balls to spare.
The victory revived Pakistan’s outside hopes of reaching the semi-finals with six points from seven matches.
They still need to win against New Zealand (November 4 in Bengaluru) and England (Kolkata on November 11) and also hope other results go their way if they are to stay in the tournament.
In contrast, Bangladesh became the first side to crash out of the ten-team event with just one win from seven games.
Needing to improve their net run-rate, Zaman and Shafique cruised to 128 by the 22nd over.
Shafique hit nine boundaries and two sixes as he made his third half century in addition to a hundred in the tournament.
He fell leg-before to spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz while skipper Babar Azam holed out to the same bowler for nine.
Zaman, who recovered from a knee injury to replace Imam-ul-Haq in one of three changes for Pakistan, smashed seven sixes and three boundaries, his 16th ODI fifty, but first after 11 innings.