ICC Champions Trophy 2017, Bangladesh vs Pakistan, warm-up match: Fahim Ashraf-Hasan Ali’s stand seals last-over thriller for Pakistan
CT 2017, BAN vs PAK, warm-up match: Fahim – Hasan’s record stand seals last-over thriller for Pak
Bangladesh will be massively disappointed to lose the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 warm-up match against Pakistan, which they actually dominated for around 93 overs. It was the madness of last 7 odd overs, where Fahim Ashraf (64* in 30 balls) and Hasan Ali (27* in 15) did the unthinkable and handed Pakistan surprise win out of nowhere. When Ashraf and Hasan came together, Pakistan needed 93 from 44 balls and had just 2 wickets in hand. The pair got them runs with 3 balls to spare, thus pulling off a stunning win. Apart from the two, Shoaib Malik scored 72 runs off 66 balls, while Mohammad Hafeez (49), Imad Wasim (45) and Ahmed Shehzad (44) also played their part. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Bangladesh (BAN) vs Pakistan (PAK), warm-up match at Birmingham.
Chasing a daunting 342, Pakistan got off to a poor start. Opener Azhar Ali (8) and Babar Azam (1) were sent back cheaply by Taskin Ahmed and Mashrafe Mortaza respectively. Shehzad and Hafeez then steadied the ship with a 59-run third-wicket stand. Shehzad’s wicket came against the run of play. Once he was gone, Malik and Hafeez added another 79 runs to keep Pakistan on course.
Hafeez fell one short of his fifty. Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed (5) was dismissed soon. Malik then found an ally in Imad, with whom he added 59 runs. But once this stand was broken, Pakistan lost wickets in heaps, and were soon reduced to 249 for 8. From here on, it was all Ashraf – Hasan show. The duo played some terrific cricket. There were not just wild slogs: they played straight, proper cricketing shots. Ashraf was the more destructive of the two, slamming 4 fours and 4 sixes during his stay. Hasan, who hit 2 fours and a six, hit the winning runs.
Bangladesh would rue their luck there. They were poor in the field as well as with their death-overs bowling. The credit, though, must go to Ashraf and Hasan.
Bangladesh had earlier opted had to bat. It was expected to be a run-fest from the beginning, with approximately 40-yard boundary on one side of the field. The batsmen made good use of the conditions on offer, with Tamim Iqbal slamming 102 runs off 93 balls, adding crucial 142 runs for the second wicket with Imrul Kayes (61) and 60 more for the third with Mushfiqur Rahim (46). Once the top-order batsmen were back, Shakib Al Hasan (23), Mahmudullah (29) and Mosaddek Hossain (26) guided Bangladesh to 341 for 9 from 50 overs.
Pakistan bowlers were spot on in the death overs, pulling things back. It was their effort that prevented Bangladesh from getting a score in excess of 360, which had looked a possibility at one point. Junaid Khan picked up 4 for 73 while Shadab Khan and Hasan got 2 wickets each.
Brief Scores:
Bangladesh 341 for 9 in 50 overs (Tamim Iqbal 102, Imrul Kayes 61, Mushfiqur Rahim 46; Junaid Khan 4 for 72, Shadab Khan 2 for 55, Hasan Ali 2 for 58) lost to Pakistan 342/8 in 49.3 overs (Shoaib Malik 72, Fahim Ashraf 64*, Mohammad Hafeez 49; Mehedi Hasan 2 for 30, Mosaddek Hossain 1 for 29) by 2 wickets
FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Bangladesh (BAN) vs Pakistan (PAK), warm-up match at Birmingham.