Bangladesh was wiped out for 193 after electing to bat in the opening Super 4 match in Lahore on September 6.
As the top order fell apart early in the innings, Shakib Al Hasan (53) and Mushfiqur Rahim (64) attempted to stabilize the ship with a century partnership for the fifth wicket. However, Bangladesh endured another collapse, losing their final six wickets for 46 runs and being dismissed early. Haris Rauf was the chief destroyer, concluding with 4 wickets for 19 runs, while Naseem Shah took three wickets for 34 runs to hasten the end of Bangladesh’s innings.
Shaheen Afridi began with a maiden and Naseem struck off his first delivery, dispatching Mehidy Hasan for a nought with a catch at midwicket. Litton Das, who returned to the team after recovering from an illness, capitalized on the full deliveries from both pacers to hit a barrage of off-side fours. Mohammad Naim scored a few fours as the second-wicket duo attempted to compensate for the early dismissal with their aggressive batting.
Within five overs, Bangladesh lost their second wicket after Shaheen shortened his length and induced Litton to edge to the wicketkeeper. Pakistan suffered a setback when Naseem was injured while attempting to halt a four and was forced to exit the field. Shaheen’s fuller delivery was struck by Naim for his fourth boundary. But Pakistan’s success continued as Rauf took his 50th ODI wicket when Naim pulled too late and received a top edge. Towhid Hridoy was also dismissed for two, leaving Bangladesh teetering at 47/4.
The seasoned duo of Shakib and Rahim began the process of rebuilding Bangladesh. Shakib was the more aggressive of the two, occasionally achieving boundaries, whereas Rahim was content to rotate the strike. It helped that Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf bowled a few overs, as they were less dangerous than the other bowlers, allowing Shakib and Rahim to quiet down. The reintroduction of Rauf and Naseem, who had returned to the field, did not unnerve the duo, as Shakib dispatched short deliveries for boundaries to aid Bangladesh’s advancement.
Agha Salman, the sixth bowling option for Pakistan, had a costly start, conceding 11 runs in his first over, with both batsmen hitting fours. Shakib scored a fifty off 53 balls, and the fifth wicket partnership reaches 100 as Bangladesh recovers from early setbacks. But the partnership came to an abrupt halt as Shakib’s attempt to drag Faheem past the boundary resulted in a catch to deep midwicket.
In the meantime, Rahim reached fifty and received assistance from Shamim Hossain as they attempted to stabilize the innings once more. Shamim hit a six off of Shaheen, but was dismissed shortly after when he mistimed a pull shot off of part-time off-spinner Iftikhar Ahmed. Afif Hossain struck a six over midwicket off Iftikhar, but Rahim was caught behind by Rauf to terminate his stay. Naseem scored a home run against Afif, who escaped while attempting to draw. Bangladesh’s innings concluded in the 39th over, with Naseem dismissing Shoriful Islam.
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.
