T20 World Cup: Pakistan through to semi-finals; Bangladesh ousted
Pakistan overpowered Bangladesh to register a five-wicket win in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup on Sunday. Seamer Shaheen Afridi's four-fer restricted the Tigers to 127/8. For Bangladesh, Najmul Hossain Shanto (54) was the only positive. Pakistan looked wary at the start of the chase and despite some setbacks prevailed in the contest. Babar Azam's men have now qualified for the semi-finals. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
Opting to bat, Bangladesh raked in a modest 40/1 in the powerplay. Najmul then took the scoring reins, adding a 50-plus stand alongside Soumya Sarkar to keep Pakistan at a bay. However, Bangladesh lost the heat later to manage a paltry total. Chasing 128, Pakistan had a slow start but got the job done, thanks to Shan Masood (24*) and Mohammad Haris (31).
Shanto-Sarkar steady the ship
From being 21/1 within three overs, Shanto and Sarkar steadied the ship by negating the threat on offer. The pair stitched a crucial 52-run stand for the second wicket, thereby piloting the Tigers past 70 before Sarkar was out LBW by Shadab Khan. As per ESPNcricinfo, it's the highest second-wicket partnership by Bangladesh in the ongoing T20 WC.
Shanto delivers the goods
Shanto, who was dropped on 11, ended up registering his second fifty of the tournament. The southpaw scored 54 off 48 deliveries, hitting seven fours. In the 14th over, he came down to track to play Iftikhar Ahmed only to be bowled out while attempting a nothing shot. Earlier in the tournament, Shanto scored a match-winning 55-ball 71 against Zimbabwe.
Joint-highest wicket-taker for Pakistan
Despite conceding nine runs off his first over, Shadab bounced back to garner 2/30 in four overs. The ace spinner steered to 97 T20I wickets, averaging 21.15. He is now Pakistan's joint-highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket, equaling Shahid Afridi.
7th T20I duck for Shakib
Skipper Shakib Al Hasan was out LBW under controversial circumstances. He registered his seventh duck in T20Is. As per ESPNcricinfo, he now has the third-most ducks for Bangladesh, only behind Sarkar (11) and Mushfiqur Rahim (8).
Career-best figures for Shaheen
Left-armer Shaheen was spot on in the death-overs, clipping three wickets to tally 4/22. It's his maiden four-fer and best figure in the format. Notably, he dismissed Mosaddek Hossain and Nurul Hasan in a span of few deliveries in the 17th over, cutting down any chances of a hostile finish. He now owns 55 T20I scalps at 22.92, equaling fellow countryman Imad Wasim.
Babar-Rizwan survive the powerplay
Babar and Mohammad Rizwan opted for a cautious approach, thereby steering Pakistan to 35/0 in the first six overs. As per Cricbuzz, this was the first instance of both Pakistani openers surviving the powerplay this World Cup. Their previous stands in the tournament were 1 (vs India), 4 (vs South Africa), 13 (vs Zimbabwe), and 16 (vs Netherlands).
Rizwan usurps Mishabh-ul-Haq among leading run-getters in T20 WCs
After being dropped on nought, Rizwan went on to compile a 32-ball 32. He hit two fours and a six before getting out on a slower-length ball outside off. The effort saw him race to 384 runs in T20 WC at 42.66. As per ESPNcricinfo, Rizwan (924) is only the second batter with 900-plus T20I runs in 2022, besides India's Suryakumar Yadav (965).
Pakistan extend their lead over Bangladesh
Pakistan have firmly dominated Bangladesh in terms of head-to-head record in T20 Internationals (16-2). Bangladesh's last T20I victory over the Men in Green was recorded in 2016. Notably, the two sides met twice last month and Pakistan emerged victorious on both occasions. In T20 World Cups, Pakistan have thrashed the Bangla Tigers in all their six meetings so far.
India, Pakistan reach the semi-finals
Despite back-to-back defeats against India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan reached the last four in the 2022 T20 WC. They bested Netherlands by six wickets, followed by routing South Africa (DLS method), and now a five-wicket triumph. Earlier, Netherlands beat SA by 13 runs, thereby kicking the latter out of the tournament. India will eye a strong finish over Zimbabwe to finish atop Group 2.
