Daily Times

ABU DHABI: Pakistan got a cricketing lesson when Bangladesh defeated them by 37 runs in the last Super-Four match to cruise into the Asia Cup final at Sheikh Zayed Stadium here on Wednesday night. Bangladesh will clash with India in the final in Dubai on Friday. Chasing a modest victory target of 240, skipper Sarfraz Ahmed and his charges could only muster 202 for the loss of nine wickets. Opener Imamul Haq was the highlight of the Pakistan innings with 83. Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali were the main other run-getters with 30 and 31 respectively. The start to Pakistan’s run chase began in the worst possible manner as they lost opener Fakhar Zaman and star batsman Babar Azam in the first two overs. With his team in more than a spot of bother, skipper Sarfraz promoted him up the order and played a few decent strokes, raising the hopes that a captain’s knock might be in the store. However, he unnecessarily chased a wide Mustafizur Rahman delivery and nicked it to the keeper. Imam tried to rescue his team but after his departure, disaster mode was well and truly on.

Mushfiqur Rahim’s 99 helps Bangladesh reach 239: Earlier, after Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first, Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar opened their innings, whereas Junaid Khan and Shaheen Afridi shared the new ball for Pakistan. Pakistan, for their part, had much to thank Junaid for. Given the first start of this tournament, the left-armer put in Pakistan’s best fast-bowling performance with figures of 9-1-19-4. Bad news rained down on Bangladesh even before this must-win game had begun, with Shakib al Hasan ruled out of the tournament with a niggling finger injury that will require surgery. But Mushfiqur Rahim came to Bangladesh’s rescue for the second time in this tournament after a horror start that saw them lose their top three with just 12 on the board. A 144-run partnership with Mohammad Mithun helped Bangladesh climb out of that mess and put up 239, a total they would have happily agreed to after a nightmarish first seven overs.

Mushfiqur himself was desperately unlucky to fall a run shy of another hundred, becoming the first Bangladesh cricketer to ever be dismissed on 99 in international cricket. It wasn’t just the statistical landmark he missed out on; with his dismissal, Bangladesh’s hopes of putting up a total in excess of 250 all but evaporated. After they chose to bat first, Junaid, getting his chance in place of the ineffective Mohammad Amir, forced a top-edge off Soumya when the batsman was yet to score, before a near-unplayable delivery sent Das’s off stump cartwheeling . Either side of Junaid’s heroics, Afridi castled Mominul Haque, as Bangladesh reeled from the loss of their top order.

No international side’s middle order has made a greater proportion of their team’s runs since the start of 2017 than Bangladesh’s, and one can see why in games like these. There’s an argument to be made that Mushfiqur bats too low in this line-up, especially since neither Shakib nor Tamim Iqbal are playing, and he looked his side’s best batsman by a distance, guiding his side away from the cliff edge, and helping Mithun grow in confidence around him. Once they saw off the initial burst, they began to look comfortable very quickly. Sarfraz Ahmed, a man under pressure on many fronts over the past few days, didn’t have his best day as captain, taking off Afridi and Junaid after just four overs each. They were the only bowlers that threatened to take wickets in that first phase, and the out-of-form Hasan Ali conceded seven runs off his first over, and the partnership was underway.

Pakistan’s field was another point of contention, Sarfraz never sure whether he wanted first slip in or not. Several edges went through that position, but never when the man was in. The case for a defensive field was particularly flimsy given how much pressure Bangladesh were under, and Mushfiqur’s experience allowed him to take his chances as his side clawed its way back to parity. Pakistan’s spinners lacked penetration, much as they have done all tournament, allowing the fourth-wicket partnership to continue building, threatening to take the contest away from Pakistan. It wasn’t until the quicker bowlers were reintroduced that a breakthrough came, with a short delivery from Hasan coaxing a top edge from Mithun, allowing him to complete the simplest of catches. And just when they looked set for an above-par total, Mushfiqur’s wicket triggered a collapse that saw Bangladesh lose their last five wickets for 42 runs.

Published in Daily Times, September 27^th 2018.