Pakistan vs Bangladesh, ICC World Twenty20 – 2012

Match Summary:

Pakistan: 178 – 2 (Nazir 72, Hafeez 45, Jamshed 29*)

Bangladesh: 175 – 6 (Shakib 84, Tamim 24, Arafat 3-25)

Result: Pakistan win by 8 wickets with 8 balls remaining. Qualifying for the SUPER EIGHT.

What a day at Pallekele. Runs coming from the bat, fast outfield, and high voltage drama. The result? Pakistan qualifies for the Super Eights in the ICC World Twenty20, 2012.

It was a sad day for the bowlers of both sides, Pakistan and Bangladesh. However, in the end, the Pakistani batsmen played exceptionally well and took the team ahead to the Super Eight round. Both teams, Pakistan and Bangladesh, have been lucky as far as the weather is concerned because rain has not yet hit them in their testing period. It is certainly time to celebrate for Pakistani cricket fans, while the team gears up to face more important challenges in the Super Eight matches; however, there is still some time to breathe till the next match. Till then, let us have a quick look at the thrilling match between Pakistan and Bangladesh that gripped our attention for the entire duration of 3 hours.

It was a moment of dream coming true for Bangladeshi batsmen as they were able to put 175 runs on the scoreboard for Team Pakistan to chase. The openers, Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful, scored an exciting 32 runs partnership in just 3.2 overs. Taking this pace and excitement forward, Team Bangladesh gave a target of 176 runs for Team Pakistan to chase. Shakib-al-Hasan was the major contributor to the scoreboard, scoring 84 runs of just 54 deliveries, but later fell prey to Yasir Arafat’s bowling.

[Bangladesh got off to a rapid start through openers Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful after choosing to bat in an important game for both teams.]

[Shakib-al-Hasan scored 84 runs of 54 balls, taking Bangladesh on to a score of 175 runs for 6 wickets.]

The pitch showed some pace and there was grass on it. Unexpectedly, the seamers from both sides struggled to contribute massively. Sohail Tanvir and Umar Gul were struggling as they failed to deliver good spells. The major contributor from Pakistan’s bowling attack was Yasir Arafat who gave a relatively decent spell of 3 wickets from 25 runs. Shahid Afridi performed comparatively well amongst the spinners and took 1 wicket for 20 runs in 4 overs, maintaining an economy rate of 5.00. Surprisingly, the Skipper Hafeez, himself was highly expensive and gave 28 runs in 3 overs. The same was the case with Saeed Ajmal who took 4 wickets in the last match against New Zealand, but remained wicket-less in this match with a high economy rate of 8.00. From the opposing side, things weren’t clicking for Bangladeshi bowlers as well.  Mashrafe Mortaza, being their key seamer, gave 30 runs in 3 overs. Shafiul Islam and Mahamuduallah were the most expensive bowlers, making it easier for the Pakistani batsmen to the chase the target of 176 runs. However, Shakib-al-Hasan gave an applaudable performance from their side; both with the bat and his off-spin bowling. The only bowler to take wickets from Bangladesh’s side was Abul Hasan.

The Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim had no particular reason when he decided to bat first after winning the toss, but that was certainly a good decision for Bangladesh as they set up a massive total of 176 runs for Pakistani to chase. This was due to reckless bowling and certain misfields by the Pakistani players. Nevertheless, it was Pakistan’s batting side that came up strong and fought back really well. Pakistan and Bangladesh have played five T-20 matches before. Pakistan has won all five of them. Yesterday, we added a sixth victory to the list.

Imran Nazir was the master blaster of the match after smashing 72 runs from just 36 deliveries, maintaining an exceptional strike rate of 200 and scoring the fastest half century of the tournament. According to Imran, he was given the license to play his natural game by the Captain, Hafeez, and the management, and that is exactly what he did. Imran also brought up his highest T20 score so far. Along with him, the Skipper Mohammad Hafeez, played a fine innings, though with a strike rate of just 95.74. He helped build a 124 runs partnership along with Imran Nazir. The remaining runs were chased by the joint effort of Nasir Jamshed, who scored 29 runs of just 14 deliveries including 2 fours and 2 sixes, and Kamran Akmal who gave 22 runs to the scoreboard. Both chased the target successfully, remaining not out and giving Pakistan an 8 wicket victory over Bangladesh.

Imran Nazir for his terrific innings in the 176 runs chase received the Man of the Match award.

[Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Nazir led Pakistan’s strong reply to Bangladesh.]

[Nazir dominated the scoring, racing to 50 of just 25 balls.]

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