By India Blooms News Service Sep 07, 2023
Lahore/UNI: Despite Shakib Al Hasan and Mishfiqur Rahims century run partnership, Bangladesh folded their innings at 193 in the first Super 4 game at Gaddafi Stadium here on Wednesday.
Down 47/4 in just 9.1 overs, the two Bangladeshi legends plugged the gap. They embarked on a face-saving mission, denying Pakistan bowlers to make further inroads.
They exhibited remarkable composure and dogged determination by notching up a well-paced half centuries along the way.
Just as it seemed Bangladesh was back on the track, the fortunes divorced them again. Shakib, in an attempt to up the ante, was caught at deep midwicket. This marked the beginning of a catastrophic collapse for Bangladesh, as they lost their last six wickets for a mere 46 runs.
Bangladesh could have been happy to go past 250 runs as it was a momentous occasion with both teams met for the first time in the ODI format after a hiatus of four long years. But, they could not come out with flying colours in the ultimate showdown.
Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first, and pretty soon Pakistan seamers unleashed an extraordinary display of skill during the powerplay. They picked up four crucial wickets. It was a remarkable start that had the Bangladeshi batting lineup reeling.
Haris Rauf, the leading wicket-taker of the tournament at this point, produced a masterclass, finishing the day with impressive figures of 4 wickets for just 19 runs in his 6 overs.
In doing so, he not only decimated the Bangladeshi batting but also achieved a significant milestone, crossing the 50-wicket mark in ODIs in record time (3rd fastest for Pakistan), matching the legendary Waqar Younis.
Naseem Shah also played a pivotal role, wrapping up the Bangladesh innings with three crucial wickets to his name. Thanks to the heroic efforts of Pakistans seamers, Bangladesh found themselves limping to a total of only 193 runs on the scoreboard.
As the teams swap roles and Pakistan prepares to chase, the stage is set for the second innings.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 193 in 38.4 overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 64, Shakib Al Hasan 53; Haris Rauf 4-19, Naseem Shah 3-34) vs Pakistan