Bowling Attack
In a crucial World Cup match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday, Pakistan restricted Bangladesh to 204 runs. Pakistan now needs 205 runs to defeat Bangladesh, who were all out in the 46th over after choosing to bat first.
Bangladesh faced early trouble as Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto in his first two overs. Haris Rauf then dismissed Mushfiqur Rahim in the sixth over. Despite the early losses, the partnership between Litton Das, scoring 45 runs, and Mahmudullah, contributing 56 runs, helped Bangladesh recover.
After Das was dismissed by Iftikhar Ahmed, Captain Shakib Al Hasan entered the fray, scoring 43 off 64 balls before Rauf took his wicket. For Pakistan, Afridi and Waseem Jr. both secured three wickets, while Rauf dismissed two batters. Usama Mir and Iftikhar Ahmed took one wicket each.
Pakistan aims to break their four-game losing streak to stay in the tournament, as they currently stand seventh out of 10 teams with two wins, while Bangladesh is ninth with only one victory.
The conditions at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens are expected to be warm and sunny, with the pitch possibly favoring low-scoring matches. In a previous game at the venue, the Netherlands posted 229 runs while batting first, and Bangladesh was restricted to 142 in the second innings.
Fakhar Zaman, Usama Mir, and Salman Ali Agha have returned to the squad for Pakistan. Overall, Pakistan’s bowling attack limited Bangladesh to 204 runs in the must-win World Cup match.
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf.
Bangladesh: Litton Das (wk), Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
