da 888casino： Set 141 for victory, Pakistan eased home with four wicketsand six balls to spare, after Bangladesh’s slow bowlers induced amid-innings wobble
The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran20-Sep-2007
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Shahid Afridi was in his usual belligerent mood and nearly decapitated Mashrafe Mortaza with a straight lash © AFP
Bangladesh squandered a brilliant start by Junaid Siddique, the19-year-old debutant who smashed 71 from just 49 balls, and Pakistan wereindebted to a blazing innings from Shahid Afridi and a late cameo fromImran Nazir as they went into the semi-finals with a perfect record in theSuper Eights. Set 141 for victory, Pakistan eased home with four wicketsand six balls to spare, after Bangladesh’s slow bowlers induced amid-innings wobble.Nazir’s unbeaten 27 at the end made all the difference after a sloppyPakistani display, and would have been especially satisfying after he hadhad to retire hurt three balls into the innings, struck flush on theunmentionables by a delivery from Mashrafe Mortaza. Having swungMahmudullah for a six over square leg earlier, Nazir struck two fours offMortaza to hasten the end.Afridi, restored to the top of the order, had blazed away from the outset,with a straight lash off Mortaza forcing the bowler to hit the deck whiletaking evasive action. There was a mighty heave for six over midwicket aswell, and even the hitherto economical Syed Rasel was not spared, withheaves through midwicket and a big six over long-on.Mohammad Hafeez played his part with a brisk 23, but it was his exit,caught at long-off, that triggered a slide. Afridi went soon after, edgingAbdur Razzak behind, after careening to 39 from just 15 balls. With SalmanButt once again becalmed, the innings lost momentum as the spinnerswheeled away accurately and so quickly that the batsmen barely had time toformulate a plan.It was left to the ever-reliable Shoaib Malik to snap everyone out ofslumber, with a gorgeous flick though midwicket and a sweep that went tothe fine-leg rope. But when he was caught at deep square leg offMahmudullah, Bangladesh scented an opportunity, and Mortaza reinforcedthat feeling by trapping Misbah-ul-Haq, hero of the victory againstAustralia, in front of the stumps. Butt, who looked half asleep, was runout dawdling late on, but Nazir ensured that there would be no repeat ofBangladesh’s famous World Cup victory of 1999.The Bangladesh innings was a one-man show, but Siddique should have gonewhen he had made just 2, only for a miscued pull off Mohammad Asif to befumbled over his head by Misbah. In general though, it was a listlessopening from Pakistan, with plenty of wides and no-balls and Asif bowlingat close to Arjuna Ranatunga’s pace.Tamim Iqbal was superbly run out by Hafeez running in from point, butSiddique was quickly into his stride, playing beautiful strokes down theground off both new-ball bowlers. There was one more lucky escape, as ahoick off Tanvir evaded Nazir’s hands at deep midwicket, and Siddiquecelebrated the reprieve with an imperious hit over the rope in the samedirection.
Junaid Siddique, the 19-year-old debutant, smashed 71 from just 49 balls © AFP
Even the entrance of Afridi, one of the most effective bowlers in thecompetition, didn’t faze him, with two fours struck down the ground, thesecond of them palmed on to the rope by Umar Gul at long-on. It took himjust 35 balls to reach 50, and with Aftab Ahmed picking off the singles atthe other end, Bangladesh appeared well set for an imposing total.It all changed with a headless-chicken charge from Aftab, and acomfortable stumping for Kamran Akmal off Hafeez. By the time Shakib AlHasan popped one back off the leading edge in Hafeez’s next over, theinnings was in disarray, with Mohammad Ashraful having already departed,trapped in front by Afridi.Siddique heaved Hafeez for two sixes over midwicket in a bid to redressthe balance, but Malik’s decision to bowl only his second over of thecompetition killed off any hopes of a big score. Siddique went for one bighit too many, and with Nadif Chowdhury nicking one behind, it was left tothe tail.Gul, entrusted with bowling the final overs once again, ran outMahmudullah, and then struck Mortaza flush on the visor with awell-directed short ball. Asif added insult to injury by bowling himbehind his legs, as Bangladesh yet again lost the thread after thebrightest of starts. For Pakistan, it was a sloppy day out. Sterner testsawait.