T20 World Cup, Pakistan Vs Bangladesh, Played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 16 March 2016

Pakistan 201 /5 ( Mohammad Hafiz 64 ,Ahmed Shehzad 52, Shahid Afridi 49, Taskin Ahmed 2/32 ,Arafat Sunny 2.34 ) beat Bangladesh 146/6 ( Shakib Al Hasan 50* , Sabbir Rahman 25, Tamim Iqbal, 24, Mashrafee Bin Murtaza 19*, Mohammad Amir 2/27, Shahid Afridi 2/27)

Player of the Match: Shahid Afridi

Pakistan producing their “A” game effected crash landing of high flying Bangladesh by a huge margin of 55 runs at half-filled Eden Gardens on Wednesday. Once the unpredictable Pakistan top order batsmen set a huge target of 202 to chase their lethal bowling attack chocked Bengal tigers to 146/6 .Even the fielding of Pakistan looked very different.

They ran quick , looked sharp and agile. In the group of death Pakistan in this form looked threatening for the other teams. Boom boom Afridi was on song with his brilliant but infrequent all round ability. Shehjad and Hafiz laid solid foundation for the enigmatic captain to strike sweetly and take the match beyond the reach of Bengal tigers. Pakistan won big by 55 runs which may matter for moving ahead in a group where already favorites India suffered a shock defeat by Kiwis by 42 runs in the opener of the business round. Very strong and Championship potential Australia is the only team in the group which has not appeared yet in the tournament.

Afridi won the toss and elected to bat. Sharjeel and Shehzad went into business early on striking sweetly. Bangladesh appeared without their ace strike bowler Mustafizur Rahman still not considered fit. Two bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny who were recently tested at an ICC approved lab for suspect bowling actions were in the side.

Talentedall-rounder Nasir Hossain was again ignored much to the astonishment of Bangladeshi cricket admirers. It was a day when hardly anything went right for Mashrafee .His inform bowler Al Amin bowled too short or too full. He himself over bowled and got hammered. He forgot that he had Mahmudullah in his armory to take the pace off and deceive the Pakistani avalanche. Ahmed Shehzad back in the team played wonderfully well. He with Professor Hafiz set a launching pad with 95 runs second wicket partnership in 68 deliveries.

Afridi ceased the occasion promoting himself at four above Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik. His blistering innings of 49 in only 19 deliveries took the match away from Bangladesh. Pakistan set a target of 202 to win. Against a very strong bowling attack such target can prove challenging even to the best batting side of the world. The task was made all the more difficult with Mohammad Amir striking in his very first over castling Soumya Sarkar. For a while Sabbir threatened. But Bangladesh bubble burst once Afridi struck two vital blows removing Sabbir and Tamim. Bangladesh could not match with mounting run rate as all Pakistani bowlers bowled with a plan and the fielders took their catches.

Mahmudullah fell early, out of form Mushfique struggled. Shakib held the innings together with an unbeaten half century and skipper Mashrafee struck some hefty blows .But these were too little tolate. Bangladesh could reach 146/6 when curtains were drawn. Pakistan won huge and handsome by 55 runs. This win may prove decisive in a group where run rate may prove vital as few teams may have equal points.

Pakistan in recent past was struggling with their batting. It was a pleasant change . Shehzad back in the side after a while looked in prime form striking the ball sweetly. Hafiz matched with him strokes for strokes .Shehzad scored 52 off 39 with 8 strikes across the fence. Hafiz contributed 64 in 42 with 7 fours and 2 sixes. But the innings of Afridi 49 in only 19 deliveries hurt Bangladesh most. 202 target was always challenging against a very strong Pakistan attack featuring Amir, Wahab Riaz and Irfan .Moreover, Afridi getting his confidence back bowled his leg spinners to the best of his ability. Pakistan very strongly announced its intention.

Taskin (2/32 ) and Arafat Sunny (2/34 ) bowled with some control .Mashrafee and Shakib proved too expensive. Pakistainis worked them well.

It was very difficult to judge why Bangladesh continues to ignore their experienced useful all-rounder Nasir Hossain. How can a little experienced Mohammad Mithun be preferred over Nasir who bats aggressively, bowls tight and fields as good as anyone?  Mahmudullah bowls tight and even gets break through. When Afridi was firing in all cylinders Mahmudullah could be tried.

Mashrafee predictable on the day himself gave away 41 runs in his 3 overs .Still Mahmudullah was not tried. Even Shakib could not contain. Neither could Al Amin maintain his form with the ball. It was a complete off day in the office for the Bengal tigers.
While batting, Sabbir looked impressive till being foxed by a well-conceived sharp turning googly of Afridi. Tamim was consumed by Afridi when he just started spreading his wings. Only Shakib ploughed in the sand. His unbeaten 50 in 40 deliveries could only reduce the margin. Mushfique looked terribly out of form. Mithun looked fish out of water. Bangladesh think tank proved not too intelligent in preferring Mithun over Nasir.

Mashrafee did not marshal his resources well on the day in the face of vicious counter attack of Afridi. His length balls were easily dispatched. Nasir was missing here also. Bangladesh must reassess their option diligently. Soumya and Mushfique are struggling with the bat. Mushfique if fit must play. All three remaining opponents India, Australia and India are formidable opponents. Bangladesh will have to regroup as soon as possible to provide better accounts of them.

BDST: 1143 HRS, MAR 17, 2016
AKA