In a battle of fraying nerves at Headingley Leeds, Pakistan looked down in the dumps & then miraculously huffed & puffed to cross the line with just two balls remaining & win by 3 wickets over a resilient, but inexperienced Afghanistan. This was the third successive win for Pakistan, to keep them firmly on track for a place in the semis. They now need to win their last game against Bangladesh to secure that.
Winning the toss & electing to bat, Afghanistan lost three quick wickets within 12 overs for just 57 runs, before a 64 runs partnership steadied the ship, but once again lost two quick wickets with score at 125 for 5 in 27 overs. Some late order flourish got them to a respectable total of 227 for 9, as Zadran & Asghar top scored with 42 runs apiece. For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi was the pick of the bowlers, getting 4 wickets for 47 runs.
Chasing a modest total, Pakistan lost Fakhar Zaman in the 2nd ball of the innings, but Babar Azam & Imam Haq steadied the innings adding 72 runs, before both perished in quick succession, leaving the score at 81 for 3 in the 18th over. With spin introduced, Pakistani batsmen struggled against the line & length of especially Nabi, alongwith Mujeeb & Rashid & were left tottering at 156 for 6 in the 38th over. At that stage, Pakistan looked out of sorts & Afghanistan looked in control in the centre, as runs were hard to come by & the asking rate crept up over 8. With 46 runs required & just 5 overs left, & run rate over 9, it was Afghanistan's game to lose. Strangely enough, in probably the worst decision of his life, Capt Gulbadin held back his spinning options & decided to bowl - this cost them the match, as his gentle paced dollies & full tosses were despatched across the field for 18 invaluable runs, as Asghar, looking clueless, dropped a dolly catch in the middle. In the next over, though Shadab was run out, Rashid gave away 9 vital runs & Pakistan had managed to squeeze out of a hole. It was 18 runs required of 18 deliveries. Imad, who was lucky to survive a clear LBW decision, when on just 1 run, in the 37th over due to an umpiring error, went on to score unbeaten 49 runs, & along with Wahab, who clobbered a six and a four to remain unbeaten at 15, finished the game for Pakistan, with two balls to spare. Imad Wasim was the obvious choice for Man of Match.
Just when Afghani spinners had held Pakistan by the scruff of their necks, Gulbadin gave away the easiest 28 runs in 10 deliveries to hand Pakistan a victory on a platter !! With this Afghanistan remain winless after 8 games, & would rue their chances, having come sniffing distance to victory. Poor umpiring at crucial stage of the game also hurt them bad.
Pakistan have clawed into 4th place on the points table, & now face Bangladesh in their last game, & both sides would need nothing short of a victory to be in contention for a place in semis - that should be a humdinger of a match, as both teams, on their day are capable of destroying any opponent.
Winning the toss & electing to bat, Afghanistan lost three quick wickets within 12 overs for just 57 runs, before a 64 runs partnership steadied the ship, but once again lost two quick wickets with score at 125 for 5 in 27 overs. Some late order flourish got them to a respectable total of 227 for 9, as Zadran & Asghar top scored with 42 runs apiece. For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi was the pick of the bowlers, getting 4 wickets for 47 runs.
Chasing a modest total, Pakistan lost Fakhar Zaman in the 2nd ball of the innings, but Babar Azam & Imam Haq steadied the innings adding 72 runs, before both perished in quick succession, leaving the score at 81 for 3 in the 18th over. With spin introduced, Pakistani batsmen struggled against the line & length of especially Nabi, alongwith Mujeeb & Rashid & were left tottering at 156 for 6 in the 38th over. At that stage, Pakistan looked out of sorts & Afghanistan looked in control in the centre, as runs were hard to come by & the asking rate crept up over 8. With 46 runs required & just 5 overs left, & run rate over 9, it was Afghanistan's game to lose. Strangely enough, in probably the worst decision of his life, Capt Gulbadin held back his spinning options & decided to bowl - this cost them the match, as his gentle paced dollies & full tosses were despatched across the field for 18 invaluable runs, as Asghar, looking clueless, dropped a dolly catch in the middle. In the next over, though Shadab was run out, Rashid gave away 9 vital runs & Pakistan had managed to squeeze out of a hole. It was 18 runs required of 18 deliveries. Imad, who was lucky to survive a clear LBW decision, when on just 1 run, in the 37th over due to an umpiring error, went on to score unbeaten 49 runs, & along with Wahab, who clobbered a six and a four to remain unbeaten at 15, finished the game for Pakistan, with two balls to spare. Imad Wasim was the obvious choice for Man of Match.
Just when Afghani spinners had held Pakistan by the scruff of their necks, Gulbadin gave away the easiest 28 runs in 10 deliveries to hand Pakistan a victory on a platter !! With this Afghanistan remain winless after 8 games, & would rue their chances, having come sniffing distance to victory. Poor umpiring at crucial stage of the game also hurt them bad.
Pakistan have clawed into 4th place on the points table, & now face Bangladesh in their last game, & both sides would need nothing short of a victory to be in contention for a place in semis - that should be a humdinger of a match, as both teams, on their day are capable of destroying any opponent.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment
I would appreciate all feedback on this post from you.