Asia Cup: Pakistan set up yet another India clash; this time in the final
Pakistan won by 11 runs after stumbling to 135-8 in the virtual semi-final against Bangladesh in their men’s Asia Cup Super Four fixture at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
With that win, the Green Shirts bookëd their final date with archrivals India for the first time in the 17th iteration of the Asia Cup on Sunday.
Speaking at the post-match ceremony, player-of-the-match Shaheen Afridi said: “I attacked up-front as the team needed an early breakthrough — the three overs in the powerplay made all the difference.”
He dedicated his award to his wife and son.
The left-arm pacer scored a vital 19 of 13 balls and got 3-17 with the ball, striking in his signature manner in the very first over of the innings yet again.
Skipper Salman Ali Agha said, “If we can win these kinds of games, then we must be a special team.”
He commended Mohammad Haris’s crucial 31 runs down the order, terming him a “special player”.
On a pitch that spun prodigiously, Pakistan were staring down the barrel at 49-5 in the 11th over before Shaheen and Haris injected some momentum into the innings.
Mohammad Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf added some crucial runs as Bangladesh were horrendous in the field — dropping multiple chances, including POTM Shaheen.
Pakistan’s bowling effort was a combined effort, coupled with a frantic head coach heading up and down the dressing room stairs at crucial intervals.
In the end, the Tigers could not counter the quality of the Pakistani pace attack as well as the prodigious spin on offer.
Live coverage ends:
Bangladesh’s chase
Over 20 — Bangladesh - 124-9
19.1: Haris returns with venom. Mustafizur has no idea where that pacy delivery went!
Coach Hesson watches on intently.
19.4: Rishad smacks Haris for six! Are we in for a surprise?!
Wasim bhai with a well done bhai in the commentary box
Pakistan are through to the final!
Haris smacked a four and six in the final over, but that wasn’t enough for Bangladesh as Pakistan book their final date with archrivals India for the first time in the 17 editions of the Asia Cup.
Over 19 — Bangladesh - 113-9
Faheem to bowl the penultimate over.
A dejected Litton Das looks on at proceedings in despair.
18.5: That would have been it for the Tigers, but Nawaz drops a dolly at long-on!
Two boundaries and a dropped catch, Faheem bowls a nervy over for Pakistan at a time when they are steps away from the finish line.
Over 18 — Bangladesh - 103-9
Haris is down after a good start.
Looks like he’s continuing his over after a stop in play. This would be a big blow if there were an injury to the express pacer.
17.2: Haris strikes on his first ball back as he cleans up Tanzim!
17.3: Taskin has no idea where that slower one by Haris ended up and somehow the ball goes past the boundary!
17.4: Haris makes a mess of Taskin’s stumps!
The longest over of the match — thanks to Haris’ injury concern — sees Bangladesh ripped apart by the right-armer’s express pace.
Over 17 — Bangladesh - 97-7
Shaheen returns as Pakistan coach, Mike Hesson is out on the steps of the dressing room in anticipation.
And the left-arm pacer does not disappoint him as he gets rid of Shamim.
Tanzim cracks Shaheen through the covers for four, but Shaheen responds with dangerman Shamim’s wicket as Pakistan inch closer to a famous win.
Overheard in the newsroom: Remember the name; Shaheen Shah Afridi!
Over 16 — Bangladesh - 90-6
Five off that Saim over.
Saim completes his spell, conceding 16 across four overs as Shamim and Tanzim settle for five runs in the over.
Over 15 — Bangladesh - 85-6
Abrar returns.
A big over for Bangladesh against the run of play, and Shamim quietly prepares himself to go for the last-ditch attempt to save his team.
Over 14 — Bangladesh - 73-6
13.5: Saim strikes by bowling wide, and the Bangladeshi skipper is gone!
The Tigers are in all sorts of trouble as Pakistan are in a strong position.
Over 13 — Bangladesh - 68-5
Nawaz continues to impress, conceding only four as the required run-rate exceeds nine per over.
Over 12 — Bangladesh - 64-5
The man with the golden arm strikes again!
Saim returns to take another for Pakistan as Nasum departs to put Bangladesh under big pressure.
Over 11 — Bangladesh - 62-4
10.2: Shamim is saved by a whisker as the review shows that the ball was hitting but impact was umpire’s call.
Nawaz keeps the Bangladesh batters guessing with the ball doing the talking on a tricky surface.
Mid-innings analysis: Pakistan’s bowlers have delivered so far, and they’re in a position they would’ve happily accepted after posting a low target. From Shaheen to Haris to Nawaz, they have been spot on. The required rate is rising for Bangladesh and Pakistan have a semblance of a grip on the match that they shouldn’t relinquish.
Over 10 — Bangladesh - 58-4
9.4: Shamim sweeps Abrar for a six over square-leg!
Shamim Hossain counterattacks with a sweep for six off Abrar as Bangladesh look to push Pakistan off their backs.
Over 9 — Bangladesh - 49-4
Saim bowls to Nurul.
Saim comes into bowl as Pakistan look to make full use of the conditions at play and concedes only five in his first over.
Over 8 — Bangladesh - 44-4
Mohammad Nawaz into the attack!
7.6: Nawaz strikes! Bangladesh are four down as Mahedi tries to find out if the cover fielder can catch or not?!
Nawaz shifts the match further into Pakistan’s favour as the ball is spinning miles!
Over 7 — Bangladesh - 38-3
6.2: Abrar into the attack, and Nurul had no idea which way that one was turning!
Abrar comes into the attack and delivers a decent over as the wicket shows encouraging signs for the spinners.
Over 6 — Bangladesh - 36-3
Haris strikes to remove the dangerous-looking Saif!
The crowd is tilted in Bangladesh’s favour, and despite that, the noise in the ground goes through the roof!
Haris gets the big one in Saif as Pakistan make huge inroads in a match which Bangladesh were expected to take away with ease. An edge flies off for six, but a confidence-boosting over for Salman and co.
Over 5 — Bangladesh - 29-2
4.1: All sorts of drama to start the over! Pakistan and Bangladesh having a competition of who can miss the most chances in the field!
Saim with a great diving stop, and Saif was gone for all money, had he hit!
Shaheen strikes again!
Over 4 — Bangladesh - 23-1
Haris Rauf’s over has been expensive so far!
3.6: Haris finally beats Saif, and Pakistan have taken a review.
Saif milks Haris’s pace in the powerplay with a couple of solid shots for a six and four before Pakistan lose a review hoping the opener nicked one to the wicket-keeper.
Over 3 — Bangladesh - 12-1
Shaheen delivers another superb over as Bangladesh show restraint against Pakistan’s man in form.
Over 2 — Bangladesh 9-1
Faheem starts off with an expensive over.
Saif Hasan reminds Pakistan that they have a giant to deal with if they are to create any chances for themselves in this match. The right-hander creams Faheem for Bangladesh’s first six in Faheem’s over.
Over 1 — Bangladesh 1-1
Shaheen strikes!
0.5: Yet another first over wicket for Shaheen as Parvez Hossain Emon departs while trying to hit one over deep-backwards square leg.
What a start for Pakistan! Shaheen gets a wicket in the first over as Nawaz takes a good catch to send Parvez back to the pavilion.
Mid-innings analysis: Pakistan have a sub-par total on the board, and it makes you wonder why Salman was happy at losing the toss. Did the error occur in reading the pitch, or did the batters not apply themselves enough? To stay in the tournament, the onus is on the bowlers to find some inspiration.
Over 20 — Pakistan - 135-8
Can the Rana get Pakistan to any semblance of a good total?
19.2: He starts off with a boundary to third-man!
Faheem refuses a single as Haris looks on from the other end.
Over 19 — Pakistan - 124-8
18.1: Nawaz deposits Taskin into the stands!
18.2: A slower one dismisses Nawaz as Bangladesh finally hang on to one!
The big-hitting Haris Rauf makes his way to the crease. Can he help the Green Shirts with a few lusty blows?
Nawaz also departs, trying to go for two sixes in a row off Taskin, but falling to a brilliant catch by Parvaiz Hussain Emon in the deep on the second attempt as 150 becomes almost impossible for Pakistan.
Over 18 — Pakistan - 114-7
17.1: Mahedi is smashed over the sight screen by Nawaz for a huge straight six!
The left-hander finished Pakistan’s previous match against Sri Lanka with 3 sixes and is continuing from where he left off!
17.3: Haris departs as Mahedi takes one of his own bowling!
Faheem is the next man in.
Over 17 — Pakistan - 102-6
16.2: Tanzim returns, and Haris tries to sweep the pacer for six! Moin Khan-esque!
16.5: 100 up for Pakistan as Bangladesh continue to have a terrible day in the field!
Pakistan finally cross that mammoth 100-run mark as Haris survives a clear run-out chance thanks to poor decision making by Bangladesh in the field.
Over 16 — Pakistan - 94-6
Muztafizur returns.
15.6: Haris laps Muztafizur for six! and Pakistan are nearly at six an over as the 16th over ends.
The Peshawar-born batter is fighting a lone battle here.
Haris spoils Mustafizur’s over with a cheeky lap shot for six but there’s still a long way to go for Pakistan to post a target good enough for the bowlers to play with.
Over 15 — Pakistan - 83-6
Haris smacks Rishad for four!
Haris welcomes Rishad back with a boundary, but Pakistan add only three runs other than that in the 15th, with the run-rate languishing below seven.
Over 14 — Pakistan - 75-6
13.1: A slower one by Taskin is smashed by Shaheen into the mid-wicket stands!
13.3: Shaheen hit a full-toss straight-up, and the Bangladeshi skipper takes the catch himself.
13.6: Yet another dropped catch by Bangladesh! Wonder what the situation would be if they actually held their catches?!
Nawaz gets off the mark with a boundary thanks to that horrendous fielding effort!
After being gifted two lives, Shaheen goes for another big one, but this time Bangladesh captain Jaker Ali takes the catch as Pakistan go deeper in trouble.
Over 13 — Pakistan - 65-5
12.1: Haris faces Tanzim. Drives him for a single through the covers.
12.3: Shaheen finally connects and the ball soars into the second tier!
That’s a 95m hit as calls of shooottt! go around in the newsroom!
10 off the over as Shaheen makes it worth the price of admission.
Shaheen delivers the first six of Pakistan’s innings before flashing blindly against Tanzim and scampering through for a single.
Over 12 — Pakistan - 55-5
11.1: Rishad bowls to Shaheen, and the pinch-hitter gets dropped!
11.2: Shaheen survives a lbw scare as the review shows the ball was hitting the stumps, but the umpire’s call saves him.
11.3: Yet another chance as Shaheen is dropped at long-on, the left-arm pacer is in a hurry to head back to the dressing room!
Shaheen gifted with a couple of reprieves as Rishad returns. Pakistan would need a couple more, probably if they are to pose some sort of a challenge to Bangladesh.
Over 11 — Pakistan - 51-5
The Fizz is back into the attack!
And he strikes as the Pakistani skipper nicked one that came in by a whisker after pitching. Salman is gone after a successful Bangladesh review!
Shaheen is into the attack! But here he is with the bat at six down!
Mid-innings analysis by Umaid Wasim: Pakistan need to play out of their skins in the last 10 overs. The batters have succumbed to pressure, none of them able to apply themselves and play accordingly. Need Salman and Haris to stick together and take the team to a competitive total.
Over 10 — Pakistan - 46-4
Mahedi returns.
9.3: Welcome boundary for Pakistan! Haris tickles the loose delivery down the leg for a boundary!
A paltry score at the halfway stage on a wicket that tends to cause problems to batters who go after it, Pakistan are only chasing the game from this point.
Over 9 — Pakistan - 37-4
8.1: Hussain departs as Rashid gets another wicket!
Rishad keeps Pakistan guessing with his deceptive bowling, send back Hussain Talat, thanks to another casual stroke and concedes only four runs.
Over 8 — Pakistan - 33-3
The slingy Tanzim bowls to Pakistan’s player of the match from the Sri Lanka encounter, Hussain Talat.
Tanzim comes back and keeps Salman and Hussain quiet as the duo manage only four runs together.
Overheard in the newsroom: Ye Tigers kon hai?
Over 7 — Pakistan - 29-3
6.3: Fakhar is gone! picked the long-off fielder to perfection!
Pakistan in absolute shambles by the end of the seventh after Fakhar falls to Rishad’s leg-spin, picking the fielder at long-off perfectly.
Over 6 — Pakistan - 27-2
Muztafizur Rahman is into the attack, the left-arm slingy pacer can trouble Pakistan further as they look to rebuild.
5.5: The skipper gives the charge and hits it beautifully over the cover fielder for four!
The man under fire, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha finally finds the rare boundary for Pakistan to cap an otherwise horrific powerplay.
Over 5 — Pakistan - 19-2
Tanzim Hasan Saqib is into the attack for the Tigers.
Six off the over after Fakhar got yet another boundary down to fine leg
Tanzim Hasan Sakib comes into the attack and carries on the momentum for Bangladesh as Pakistan try to find a way out from a poor start.
Over 4 — Pakistan - 15-2
Mahedi returns after a successful first over.
3.6: The skipper Salman Ali Agha ends the over with a statement of intent! The ball goes over the mid-off fielder for four.
Mahedi bowled another tidy over only for Salman to break the shackles on the last ball, lifting him for a welcome boundary on the last ball.
Over 3 — Pakistan - 9-2
Taskin returns as the decibels in the stadium go up.
2.5: Fakhar gives Taskin the charge and gets a lucky boundary off an edge!
Taskin showing Bangladesh what they were missing last night. A superb first over backed up by another good one. He was unlucky when Fakhar’s bottom edge raced to the fence The pressure is on Pakistan.
Over 2 — Pakistan - 5-2
Mahedi Hasan is into the attack.
1.4: Saim hits the ball straight to mid on, and he has gotten his fourth duck in this Asia Cup.
Bangladesh set the trap, and Saim happily falls into it. Mahedi and co are on top in Dubai, and Pakistan are reeling.
Over 1 — Pakistan - 4-1
Pakistan openers Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan out in the middle; Taskin Ahmed, who sat out Wednesday’s game against India to open the bowling
0.3: Sahibzada smacks that off the back foot for the first boundary of the innings!
0.4: And the right-handed opener is gone!
An in-form Sahibzada becomes the prey of his own confidence. Going after a full one but hitting it too casually to elude the fielder at point. Not a good start for Pakistan.
Anthems
The Bangladeshi anthem is being played first.
The Pakistani anthem follows.
The fans are showing up for the all-important encounter of the men’s Asia Cup.
Teams
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Abrar Ahmed.
Bangladesh: Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali (captain), Rishad Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Saqib, Taskin Ahmed, and Muztafizur Rahman.
The regional tournament, played this time in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the Twenty20 format, started in 1984, and this is its 17th edition.
So far, Pakistan have won three of its five matches in the tournament while Bangladesh have come out as the winner in four of its five fixtures.
If Pakistan advances to the final, they will be facing India, against whom the team has failed to secure a victory in the tournament so far.
But losses have seemingly been able to do little to dent the team’s confidence.
Earlier this week, Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi declared that the Green Shirts would reach the Asia Cup final and could beat India if the arch-rivals clashed again.