Pakistan eliminates Bangladesh from semifinal contention at the World Cup

Pakistan kept their hopes of reaching the semifinals of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 alive with a convincing seven-wicket win over Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday. The victory also ended Bangladesh’s chances of making it to the last four, as they suffered their sixth defeat in seven games.

Bangladesh’s batting collapse

Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first on a dry pitch that was expected to get slower and offer more spin as the game progressed. However, their decision backfired as they lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for a below-par 204 in 45.1 overs.

The top order failed to provide a solid start, as Shaheen Afridi and Iftikhar Ahmed struck early to reduce them to 17 for 3 in the sixth over. Liton Das (45), Mahmudullah (56), and Shakib Al Hasan (43) tried to rebuild the innings with some resistance, but none of them could convert their starts into a big score.

The lower order also failed to provide any impetus, as Mohammad Wasim and Usama Mir ran through the tail with three wickets each. Wasim finished with impressive figures of 3 for 31 in 8.1 overs, while Mir conceded 66 runs in his 10 overs but picked up some crucial wickets.

Pakistan’s chase

Pakistan had no trouble in chasing down the modest target, as they reached 205 for 3 in 32.3 overs with 105 balls to spare. The openers Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman gave them a flying start with a 132-run stand in 22 overs.

Shafique scored a fluent 68 off 69 balls with nine fours and two sixes, while Zaman smashed 81 off 74 balls with three fours and seven sixes. Zaman was particularly aggressive against the spinners, as he hit six of his seven sixes off them.

Bangladesh’s only success came through Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who took all three wickets to fall. He dismissed Shafique, Zaman, and Babar Azam in quick succession, but it was too little too late for Bangladesh. Mohammad Rizwan (26 not out) and Iftikhar Ahmed (17 not out) completed the formalities with an unbeaten 41-run partnership.

Player of the match

Fakhar Zaman was named the player of the match for his blistering knock that set up Pakistan’s easy win. He said: “I’m very happy with my performance. I just wanted to play positive cricket and take advantage of the powerplay. The pitch was good for batting and I enjoyed hitting the spinners.”

What next?

Pakistan will face Afghanistan in their next match on November 4 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. They need to win their remaining three games and hope for other results to go their way to qualify for the semifinals.

Bangladesh will play their last match of the tournament against Sri Lanka on November 5 at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. They will look to end their disappointing campaign on a high note and secure a spot in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025.