Pakistan’s prospects of advancing to the Cricket World Cup semi-finals were revived after a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Kolkata. Babar Azam’s team ended a four-match losing streak and handed second-from-last Bangladesh its sixth straight loss, moving within two points of the top four with two games left.
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Quick Recap: Pakistan vs Bangladesh
Bangladesh were bowled out for 204, with Shaheen Shah Afridi passing 100 ODI wickets and Mohammad Wasim polishing off the lower order. Pakistan chased down the target with 106 deliveries to spare, thanks in large part to Fakhar Zaman’s performance of 81 and Abdullah Shafique’s knock of 68.
Pakistan’s final two opponents are New Zealand and England, and they may need to win both games and hope for favorable results elsewhere to get to the semi-finals for the first time since 2011. As the first team mathematically eliminated from a top-four finish, Bangladesh is now focused on finishing high enough to make the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in 2025.
There is a lot at stake for Bangladesh versus Sri Lanka and Australia because only the top seven teams and hosts Pakistan will advance to the next round.
Even if England beats Australia in Ahmedabad on Saturday, they will be eliminated if New Zealand beats South Africa on Wednesday and Afghanistan beats the Netherlands on Friday.
How Pakistan Won Against Bangladesh
After Shaheen’s early twin strike, Bangladesh found themselves 0-1 and 9-2, with Shaheen taking his 100th scalp in the format by trapping Tanzid Hasan (0) lbw on the fifth ball.
After Mushfiqur Rahim (5) lost his wicket when he edged Haris Rauf behind for 23, the fourth-wicket partnership between Liton Das (45 off 64 balls) and Mahmudullah (56 off 70 balls) was a brisk 79 from 89 deliveries, with both batsmen punishing some poor bowling.
However, Liton gave Pakistan their wicket by nicking a no-ball from spinner Iftikhar Ahmed to short midwicket and then dragging his feet off the field in defeat.
In spite of a 45-run stand between Shakib Al Hasan (43 off 64 balls) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (25 off 30 balls), the rest of Bangladesh’s innings faded out thanks to Wasim’s dismissal of Mehidy, Taskin Ahmed (six), and Mustafizur Rahman (three).
Pakistan’s opening pair of Fakhar and Shafique, sensing the urgency with which they wanted to win, wasted no time in laying the groundwork with a 128-run stand. After 21 overs, when everything looked to be going smoothly, Miraz took Shafique lbw.
Babar Azam replaced him, however, he was only able to score nine runs off of sixteen balls before Miraz struck again four overs later. An overwhelming sinking sensation ought to have passed through every Pakistan supporter in Eden Gardens when Zaman fell to a similar fate in the 27th over.
But the Boys in Green held firm with Mohammed Rizwan (26 off 21) and Iftikhar Ahmed (17 off 15) at the crease, and they cruised to victory.
Player of the Match: Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar Zaman’s comeback at the top of the order, scoring 81 runs off 74 balls and combining with Abdullah Shafique for the game-winning 128-run stand, was the day’s most important development. After Imam-ul-Haq failed to deliver a single fifty in six games, Babar and the other leaders lost patience with him. Adding Fakhar to the lineup helped keep the left-right combination at the top of the order intact.
After scoring a boundary off Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam in the next two overs, Fakhar would utilize his feet to waltz down the track and hurl all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz into the stands past the mid-wicket fence. After bowling Bangladesh out for a meager 204, Pakistan sped passed the fifty-mark and the game was effectively over.
Score: Pakistan v Bangladesh
| Pakistan | 205/3 | 32.3 overs |
| Bangladesh | 204 | 45.1 overs |
| Pakistan won by 7 wickets | ||
Chasing 205 runs, Pakistan won against Bangladesh by 7 wickets in the game that took place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata for the upcoming ICC Men’s World Cup 2023. On the 1st of November (Wednesday), South Africa and New Zealand face off in Pune.
South Africa is in second place with 10 points, followed by New Zealand with 8 points, and a tie for third with Australia based on net run rate. For the best World Cup experience, look no further than TopCricketBetting, where you’ll find the top cricket betting sites in India and the best cricket World Cup odds and offers.