After four back to back losses, Pakistan roared to action on Tuesday buoyed by the superb bowling performances from the pacers to restrict the Bangladeshi batters on 204 in 45.1 overs in the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup match at the Eden Gardens.
Having won the toss, Bangladesh elected to bat first. However, eyeing an easy win, they were in for a shock. Opener Tanzid Hasan was sent packing without troubling the scorekeepers in the very first over off the bowling of Shaheen Afridi.
While Liton Das stayed put for a while, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and veteran hard-hitter Mushfiqur Rahim were dismissed on the other end. Mahmudullah added some important runs, scoring the only half-century of the Bangladesh innings as skipper Shakib Al Hasan scored another 43 crucial runs.
The tail-enders were dismissed cheaply with only Mehidy Hasan scoring some notable runs. He scored 25 off 30 balls including a six and a four.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi picked three wickets giving away 23 runs in his nine overs at an economy of 2.56, while Mohammad Wasim Jr also got three wickets giving away 31 runs. Haris Rauf got two wickets at an economy of 4.50 in his eight overs as Iftikhar Ahmed and Usama Mir settled for a wicket apiece.
With 205 runs for the win, Pakistan will be licking their lips at the opportunity of picking up their first win in five matches and clear their head with lot of work to do to reach the semis. For their part, Bangladesh bowlers will be looking to spoil the party and quick opening wickets will likely put the pressure on the Pakistan batting line-up.
