Desk Report:
There was no complicated equation in the Bangladesh-Pakistan Super Four match in Dubai last night. The team that can overcome the unwritten semi-final hurdle will book a ticket to the final. Wasim Akram believes that Bangladesh missed the match they had in their hands there.
Bangladesh’s target to reach the final was 136 runs. Although they needed less than 7 runs per over, it seemed to Towhid Hridoy and Parvez Hossain Emon that they were going to chase the target of 200. Emon (0) and Hridoy (5) gave away wickets to Shaheen Shah Afridi while batting. Shamim Hossain Patwary was showing the way to Bangladesh, who were losing wickets at regular intervals. Shahin removed the ‘thorn in the path’ Shamim (30) and ensured Pakistan’s victory. In the end, Bangladesh were stuck at 124 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs.
Wasim spoke to the Bangladeshi media after the Bangladesh-Pakistan unwritten semi-final. The Pakistani legend told reporters, “Their (Bangladesh) batting has suffered. They bowled well. They restricted Pakistan to 135 runs. They should have played with the new ball. They should have scored 40 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in 6 overs. However, against a bowling attack like Pakistan, they lost 3 wickets in the first 4 overs. They played bad shots.”
Pakistan, who were elected to bat first after losing the toss, struggled against Bangladesh’s controlled bowling. Pakistan were reduced to 49 for 5 in 10.5 overs, with Rishad Hossain contributing to the first four wickets. Rishad took two catches of Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub. Rishad then took two wickets of Fakhar Zaman and Hussain Talat. When captain Salman Ali Agha was dismissed as the fifth batsman, there was concern that Pakistan would not be able to cross 100. In the final over, Salman’s Pakistan scored 135 for 8 in 20 overs.
Wasim credited Taskin Ahmed and Mostafizur Rahman for keeping Pakistan at a low score. Taskin took 3 wickets for 28 runs in 4 overs. Farhan, Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen were dismissed while picking up Taskin. Praising Bangladesh’s bowlers, Wasim Akram said, “Taskin has been doing great in the last 2-3 years. The way he bowls and takes wickets. He is actually the main bowler of that team. Mustafizur Rahman is also quite good. Rishad Hossain is also great. I have seen him play well in the PSL for Lahore Qalandars. He is a very talented and skilled fielder. The future is very bright.”
Rubel Hossain raised questions about Bangladesh’s playing XI after the loss to India. Rubel was speechless after Bangladesh lost in the semi-final last night. After the Bangladesh-Pakistan match, Rubel posted three crying emojis on his official Facebook page. With Bangladesh losing, India and Pakistan are in the final for the first time in the history of the Asia Cup. The day after tomorrow, they will face each other in the title-deciding match in Dubai.
