Pakistan kept their semi-final hopes alive by defeating Bangladesh in Kolkata.
Asked to bowl first, Pakistan bundled out Bangladesh for a below-par 204 in 45.1 overs. The pace troika of Shaheen Afridi (3-23), Mohammad Wasim Jr (3-31) and Haris Rauf (2-26) produced exceptional spells and shared eight wickets among them
In reply, Pakistan overhauled the target in 32.3 overs. The duo of Fakhar Zaman (81) and Abdullah Shafique (68) set the tone with an opening stand of 128 runs while Mohammad Rizwan (26*) and Iftikhar Ahmed (17*) stayed till the end to seal the deal.
Speaking after the win, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam lauded his troops for their clinical display in all facets of the game.
“All credit to the boys the way we played in all three departments,” Babar said at the post-match presentation.
He was particularly pleased with Fakhar’s performance on his return to the Pakistan team. The southpaw scored his runs at a strike rate of 109.46 and earned the Player-of-the-Match award.
“We know, if Fakhar bats for 20-30 overs, it’s a different ball game. It is good to see him play his natural game,” Babar added.
With this victory, Pakistan kept their semi-final hopes alive, albeit depending on the results of other teams.
“We are trying to win the next two matches, we’ll see where we stand,” Babar said.
The Pakistan captain also credited his bowling unit for picking wickets in different junctures of the game.
“We started well, the way Shaheen started. After 15-20 overs, they built a partnership, our main bowlers picked wickets. And we also got wickets in the middle overs,” he stated.
In the end, Babar Azam thanked the fans for supporting the Pakistani cricket team.
“Thank you (fans) so much for the support,” he concluded.
Pakistan’s next match is scheduled against New Zealand in Bangalore on Saturday (November 4).