Pakistan beat Bangladesh to stay alive in World Cup semi-final race
Pakistan kept their hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals alive with a thrilling victory over Bangladesh in their penultimate group match.
Chasing 274 to win, Pakistan looked in trouble at 139-4, but half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan (73) and Babar Azam (79) helped them to victory with an over to spare.
The win takes Pakistan to six points in the group table, and they will now need to beat South Africa in their final match and hope that other results go their way in order to qualify for the semi-finals.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, are now out of the running for the semi-finals, and they will be looking to finish their tournament on a high when they take on India in their final match.
Pakistan’s innings
Pakistan’s innings got off to a bad start as they lost two early wickets, with Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq both falling cheaply.
However, Rizwan and Azam steadied the ship with a third-wicket partnership of 104 runs.
Eventually, they dismissed Rizwan for 73, but Azam continued towards achieving a half-century of his own.
Babar Azam was eventually dismissed for 79, but by this point, Pakistan were in a strong position, and they were able to cruise to victory with an over to spare.
Bangladesh’s innings
Liton Das constructed Bangladesh’s innings, smashing 121 runs off 102 balls to lead his team to victory.
Das was supported by half-centuries from Shakib Al Hasan (57) and Mushfiqur Rahim (53), and Bangladesh eventually finished their innings on 273 all out.
Pakistan’s bowling
Pakistan’s bowling attack was led by Shadab Khan, who took three wickets for 42 runs.
Mohammad Nawaz and Haris Rauf also took two wickets each, and the Pakistan bowlers were able to keep Bangladesh’s batsmen in check throughout their innings.
Conclusion
Pakistan’s victory over Bangladesh was a vital one for their hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals.
They will now need to beat South Africa in their final match and hope that other results go their way in order to qualify.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, are now out of the running for the semi-finals, but they will be looking to finish their tournament on a high when they take on India in their final match.