Bangladesh post thrilling win over Afghanistan
Tigers win by three runs to book a virtual semi-final against Pakistan
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Unstoppable India marched into the final of the Asia Cup in style, demolishing their arch-rivals Pakistan by nine wickets. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan destroyed the reputation of the Pakistan bowling attack by virtually smashing them all parts of the ground through a 210-run partnership in 33.3 overs yesterday.
Dhawan cracked 114 off 100 balls with 16 boundaries before being run out while Sharma remain unconquered on 111 off 119 balls with seven fours and four sixes.
After Pakistan were restricted to 237 for 7 through a brilliant exhibition of death bowling in which their bowlers gave away just 26 runs in the last five overs, the Indian openers helped their team win with 63 balls to spare.
For the second time in succession, the Pakistan team that landed here as favourites, failed in all departments of the game. In this match their fielding was at their worst. They dropped straight forward catches, when Sharma was on 14 by Imam-ul-Haq and then on 81 by Fakhar Zaman.
Never before, in recent years has India-Pakistan clash been so onesided with Pakistan posing no challenge to India’s batting as well as their bowling might.
Shoaib Malek’s knock of 78 and skipper Sarfraz Ahmad’s 44 went in vain. At one stage it looked like Pakistan may cross the 250-run mark but India bowlers with clinical accuracy choked the run flow.
Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav and medium-pacer Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets each. Malek’s 78 off 90 balls had four boundaries and two sixes while Sarfraz hit 44 off 66 balls with two boundaries. Their partnership of 107 in 23 overs was the best of the innings. Asif Ali too chipped in with 30 off 21 balls with two sixes and one boundary.
Indian openers Sharma and Dhawan batted as smoothly as they did in all the matches of the Asia Cup so far. When Imam at cover, dropped an easy catch offered by Sharma off Shaheen Afridi it made their job easy. In the first ten overs the pair scored 53.
Dhawan was the first to reach his half century off 56 balls. The pair recorded their 100-run partnership in 19.1 overs. All along they maintained a higher run rate than the required run rate. Sharma reached his half century in 65 balls.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat. Zaman and Imam began slowly and put on 24 off eight overs when Imam committed the mistake of playing across to legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal to be trapped leg before for 10.
Zaman and Babar Azam added 31 for the second wicket when Kuldeep Yadav foxed Zaman to play a sweep and trapped in front. Zaman walked without asking for a review, not realising that he had gloved the ball. Worse was to follow for Pakistan. Azam, hurrying for single to a steer from his captain Sarfraz to point, was sent back and could not beat Ravindra Jadeja’s accurate throw. Pakistan best batsman thus literally gifted his wicket for India.
The mantle of lifting Pakistan out ■ of trouble fell of inform Shoaib Malek and Sarfraz. Pakistan went past the 100-run mark in 27.1 overs. They put on a 50 runs partnership in 12.1 overs. Malek began stroking confidently and even slog swept Chahal for a six. Malek raced to his second consecutive half century in 64 balls. It was also his 43rd ODI fifty.
With ten overs to go Pakistan were 169 for 4. In the 42nd over Asif Ali who joined Malek, hit Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a six over long on, hit the next ball past point for a boundary and the third for another six over deep midwicket. With Malek having hit the first ball of that over too for a six, 22 runs came off that over.
In the 44th over, Jasprit Bumrah ended Malek’s knock with a delivery that drifted down the leg side and Dhoni diving to his left taking the edge. ■
Bangladesh edged out Afghanistan by three runs in a thriller at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium to keep alive their hopes of reaching the final of the Asia Cup. Bangladesh now meet Pakistan in a virtual semi-final in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, with the winners booking a showdown with India on September 28.
The Tigers, who had lost the opening Super 4 encounter against India by seven wickets, bounced back to defend their score of 249 for 7 despite a spirited assault by the Afghans.
The Afghans needed 81 from their final 10 overs, and blistering knocks from Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shenwari almost took their team across the line. Nabi (38 off 28), however, fell in the penultimate over with Afghans still 12 short of their target. They started the final over needing eight, but Bangladesh death-over specialist Mustafizur Rahman managed to deny them.
Afghanistan stuttered initially losing Ihsanullah and Rahmat Shah early with just 26 on board. However, the aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad compiled a sedate 53.
Hashmatullah Shahidi (71) and skipper Asghar Afghan (39) then kept the Afghans in the hunt, adding 78 runs for the fourth wicket. However, the Bangladesh bowlers kept the run-rate in check. At the end of 40 overs Afghanistan had only 169 on the board.
Earlier, Bangladesh riding on knocks from Imrul Kayes (72 not out off 89 balls) and Mahmudullah (74 off 81), recovered from 87 for five to post 249 for seven in 50 overs. The duo put on a Bangladesh-record partnership of 128 runs for the sixth wicket. Bangladesh had handed ODI debut to left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam and brougth in Kayes.
Bangladesh