Pakistan Clinches a Commanding 7-Wicket Victory in Their Opening Asia Cup Super 4 Match.
Pakistan Gets Off to a Flying Start by Defeating Bangladesh in Their First Asia Cup Super 4 Match at Their Home Ground, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.
Bangladesh, batting first, posted a total of 194 runs. The ODI World No.1 team bowled out all their players in just 38.4 overs.
Pakistan’s pacers were exceptional in the first inning, resulting in Bangladesh being all-out for 193 runs.
So, the home team established their dominance right from the beginning of the match, claiming their first wicket within the first seven balls.
Following a maiden over by Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah struck swiftly, dismissing Mehidy Hasan Miraz on his very first ball of the innings, granting the hosts an early breakthrough.
The wickets continued to tumble for the Bengal Tigers, and they soon found themselves at 47-4 in just 9.1 overs.
However, the experienced pair of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan forged a crucial 100-run partnership, guiding their side to a respectable score.
Shakib was eventually dismissed by Faheem Ashraf after scoring 53 runs, and Rahim followed suit, falling to Haris Rauf after contributing 64 runs.
Immediately after Rahim’s departure, Rauf struck again, removing Taskin Ahmed on the very next delivery.
A game in which he completed his 50 ODI wickets, @HarisRauf14 is player of the match for his outstanding spell! 🌟#PAKvBAN | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/ez0oeMIcO5
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 6, 2023
The last, two wickets for Pakistan were secured by Naseem Shah.
From Pakistan’s batting side, Imam ul Haq played an outstanding innings, scoring 78 runs for the team. Imam’s innings featured 9 boundaries. Fakhar Zaman added 20 runs despite challenges.
After Fakhar’s dismissal, the skipper and the top ODI player, Babar Azam, was out for 17 runs. He fell victim to a low bounce delivery, which led to his dismissal.
After the early dismissals, a partnership was crucial. Rizwan and Imam forged an essential 85-run partnership that proved pivotal for the team at that juncture.
Last, Rizwan played an exceptional innings, remaining not out with a score of 63 runs. The partnership between Imam and Rizwan was the linchpin of Pakistan’s victory.
Read More : Asia Cup points table super 4, Schedule, Teams, and Key Details
Rizwan and Imam's excellent half-centuries help Pakistan register a thumping win in the first Super 4 match 🙌#PAKvBAN | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/ELzTjTk21v
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 6, 2023
Pakistan will now play arch-rivals India in their next Super Four match in Colombo on September 10 (Sunday).
