World Cup: Pakistan dismantle Bangladesh for 204; pacers make merry
Pakistan bowled out Bangladesh for a paltry 204 in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup encounter at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Shaheen Afridi was on fire in his opening spell, while Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jr shone forth eventually. Mahmudullah emerged as Bangladesh's only half-centurion, while Litton Das (45) and Shakib Al Hasan (43) contributed with 40+ scores.
Bangladesh lose three wickets in first Powerplay
Bangladesh had a patchy start after they elected to bat first. Shaheen was brilliant with the new ball, dismissing both Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto before the 10-run mark. Mushfiqur Rahim also departed in the first Powerplay. Bangladesh were 37/3 after 10 overs. They have now lost 16 wickets in the first Powerplay, the most by a side in WC 2023.
Bangladesh on the receiving end
According to Cricbuzz, the ongoing World Cup has seen nine instances of teams losing three wickets or more in the first 10 overs. Bangladesh have been on the receiving end thrice so far (the most).
Fastest pacer to 100 ODI wickets
Shaheen scripted history by becoming the fastest pacer to accomplish 100 wickets in ODI cricket (51 matches). He reached this milestone with his first wicket in the form of Hasan. The left-arm speedster has overtaken Australia's Mitchell Starc, who took 52 matches to complete 100 ODI wickets. Former off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq was the previous fastest Pakistan bowler to get the feat (53 matches).
Shaheen only behind these spinners
Overall, Shaheen is the third-fastest bowler to accomplish 100 ODI wickets. He is now only behind Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who took 42 and 44 matches, respectively. Starc has now slipped down to the fourth place.
Other records scripted by Shaheen
Shaheen became the second-fastest pacer to 100 ODI wickets (by balls taken). He reached the landmark on his 2,526th ball. His rival Starc took 2,452 balls. Besides, Shaheen has become only the fourth Pakistani bowler to complete 50 wickets across ICC T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup. Shahid Afridi, Wasim Akram, and Umar Gull are the other Pakistan bowlers with this feat.
Mahmudullah yet again proves his mettle
Once again, Mahmudullah proved his mettle when the others failed to deliver. He took Bangladesh past 100 along with Litton after they were reduced to 23/3. The former then batted for a while along with skipper Shakib. Mahmudullah smashed a 70-ball 56 (6 fours and 1 six). He recorded his second 50+ score of WC 2023.
Shaheen, Wasim take three wickets each
Shaheen was the pick of Pakistan's bowlers, having taken three wickets for just 23 runs in nine overs, including a maiden. He dismissed Mahmudullah. Wasim also took three wickets, conceding 31 runs in 8.1 overs (one maiden). He took Bangladesh's last three wickets after they attempted a comeback from 185/7. Rauf took two wickets, while Iftikhar Ahmed and Usama Mir scalped a wicket each.
