Pakistan emerged victorious in the Super Four opener of the 2023 Asia Cup, securing a convincing seven-wicket win over Bangladesh at the heart of Lahore, marking a memorable farewell to the Asian Cup host nation.
Pakistan stamped their authority in the Super Four stage by cruising to victory against Bangladesh. Their fast bowlers orchestrated a brilliant start by dismantling Bangladesh’s batting lineup, ultimately paving the path for their batters to clinch a comfortable triumph.
The Asia Cup will take a brief hiatus for two days before resuming in Sri Lanka, culminating with the highly-anticipated final on September 17.
In their pursuit of 194 runs for victory, Pakistan got off to a steady start, notching a 35-run opening partnership within the Powerplay. Although Fakhar Zaman (20) and Babar Azam (17) departed within a span of six overs, providing Bangladesh a glimmer of hope, Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan ensured Pakistan encountered no further setbacks.
During his brief innings, Babar Azam surpassed the 2000-run milestone as captain in ODIs, joining the elite company of Imran Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, and Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Imam-ul-Haq emerged as the highest run-scorer with a brilliant 78 off 84 balls before falling to the wily Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Mohammad Rizwan, who remained unbeaten with 63 runs, sealed the chase alongside Agha Salman.
In the earlier part of the day, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, winning the toss, opted to bat first, retaining Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mohammed Naim as openers, a strategy that had borne fruit against Afghanistan.
However, Pakistan’s formidable pace attack proved too formidable for Bangladesh’s top order. Naseem Shah dismissed Mehidy for a golden duck in the very first over, while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf joined the party, claiming the wickets of Naim, Litton Das, and Towhid Hridoy within the first ten overs.
Rauf achieved a significant milestone, bagging his 50th wicket in the ODI format with the early dismissal of Naim.
Experienced campaigners Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim spearheaded Bangladesh’s recovery, amassing a century partnership for the fifth wicket. However, they could not capitalize on their advantage as Shakib succumbed to Faheem Ashraf after scoring 53.
This partnership became the second-highest fifth-wicket stand for Bangladesh against Pakistan, just shy of the 106-run record set by Nasir Hossain and Shakib in 2011.
Despite their best efforts, Bangladesh’s innings couldn’t withstand the relentless onslaught from the Pakistan pacers, and they were bowled out in under 40 overs.
Haris Rauf was the standout bowler, finishing with impressive figures of 4/19.
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