Pakistan earned a place in the Asia Cup final against India following a hard-fought 11-run victory over Bangladesh in their Super Fours match on Thursday. Defending a modest total of 135 for eight, Pakistan’s bowlers showcased a disciplined performance, limiting Bangladesh to 124 for nine. Shaheen Shah Afridi led the attack with figures of 3 for 17, while Haris Rauf contributed significantly with 3 for 33 towards the end of the innings. Saim Ayub (2 for 16) and Mohammad Nawaz (1 for 14) also made important contributions to Pakistan’s disciplined bowling effort.
Bangladesh, having put Pakistan under pressure at 71 for six in the 14th over after choosing to bowl first, will rue their missed opportunities due to poor fielding and dropped catches. The total for Pakistan may not seem dire given the challenging pitch conditions that made scoring difficult. Senior Bangladeshi bowlers Mustafizur Rahaman (1 for 33 in four overs), Taskin Ahmed (3 for 28 in four overs), and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain (2 for 18 in four overs) exploited the turning track, as none of the top-order Pakistani batsmen managed to build a solid innings.
Mohammed Haris (31 runs off 23 balls), Pakistan’s standout player in the tournament, kept his team in contention with a fighting knock, while Shaheen Shah Afridi (19 runs) hit a couple of sixes, and Mohammed Nawaz (25 runs off 15 balls) contributed crucial runs when reaching a total of 100 seemed unlikely. Brief Scores: Pakistan 135/8 in 20 overs (Mohammad Haris 31, Mohammad Nawaz 25; Taskin Ahmed 3/28, Rishad Hossain 2/18, Mahedi Hasan 2/28) defeated Bangladesh 124/9 in 20 overs (Saif Hassan 18, Shamim Hossain 30, Rishad Hossain 16 not out; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3/17, Saim Ayub 2/16, Haris Rauf 3/33) by 11 runs.