Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 11 runs in a make-or-break Super Fours contest on Thursday, booking their place in Sunday’s Asia Cup final, where they will face India for the first time since the tournament’s inception in 1984.
It was a virtual semi-final between two sides who both managed to beat Sri Lanka in the Super Fours but fell short against defending champions India in the Twenty20 tournament.
Put in to bat, Pakistan posted 135 for 8, a total that looked unlikely when they were reeling at 46 for 4 at the halfway stage of their innings. Shaheen Afridi (3 for 17) and Haris Rauf (3 for 33) then led a spirited bowling effort as Pakistan restricted Bangladesh to 124 for 9, setting up a mouth-watering clash with India, who have already beaten them twice in the tournament.
“If we can win these kinds of games, then we must be a special team,” Pakistan captain Salman Agha said. “We were 10–15 runs short, there’s no denying that. But I knew if we bowled like that, we could create pressure. In a game like this, almost a semi-final, when you create pressure up front, it’s hard to chase.”
Pakistan’s innings got off to a rocky start, with just five runs from the first 10 balls and two early wickets. They were struggling at 49 for 5 in the 11th over. Taskin Ahmed (3 for 28) struck in the first over, dismissing Sahibzada Farhan, while spinner Mahedi Hasan removed Saim Ayub for his fourth duck of the tournament.
The lower order, however, staged a fightback. Afridi (19) struck a couple of sixes, while Mohammad Haris (31) and Mohammad Nawaz (25) made vital contributions to lift Pakistan past the 125-mark.
Bangladesh’s chase mirrored Pakistan’s stuttering start, as Afridi’s early double strike left them at 29 for 3 in the sixth over. He dismissed Parvez Hossain Emon and Towhid Hridoy before returning to remove Shamim Hossain, Bangladesh’s top-scorer with a fluent 30. Rauf then dismantled the lower order to seal Pakistan’s passage to the final.
-REUTERS