Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed struck half centuries but it was Umar Gul's hefty blows towards the end that lifted Pakistan to 262 for eight in the opening match of the Asia Cup against Bangladesh on Sunday.
Published: Mar 11, 2012, 05:20 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 11, 2012, 05:20 PM (IST)
Opener Mohammad Hafeez top scored for Pakistan with 89 runs after being asked to bat first by Bangladesh © AFP
Mirpur (Bangladesh): Mar 11, 2012
Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed struck half centuries but it was Umar Gul’s hefty blows towards the end that lifted Pakistan to 262 for eight in the opening match of the Asia Cup against Bangladesh on Sunday.
Hafeez (89 off 126 balls) and Jamshed (54 off 64) laid the foundation by putting on 135 runs for the first wicket in just 28 overs, but Shahdat Hossain (3/53) and Shakib Al Hasan (2/41) struck at crucial moments to help the hosts fight back into the match.
But Gul, somewhat, spoilt Bangladesh’s plans with a brisk 39 off 25 balls.
Hoping that the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium would offer some assistance to his seamers early on, Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim elected to field after the coin landed in his favour.
Things, however, didn’t pan out the way Mushfiqur had hoped for as the two openers gave Pakistan a perfect launchpad. Both were not flashy but effective nevertheless.
Jamshed was the more aggressive of the two as he found the fence five times, besides hitting a six.
Hafeez was content to rotate the strike while hitting the occasional boundaries.
Bangladesh then made a spirited fightback and the breakthrough they needed, came in the form of Jamshed’s wicket in the 28th over, when Mushfiqur ran the batsman out after receiving a throw from Shakib.
Living up to the tag of being an unpredictable side, Pakistan suffered a collapse and, from 160 for two in the 33rd over, they were struggling at 198 for seven.
Even as the middle-order, which has the experienced Younis Khan and the talented Umar Akmal, failed miserably, Gul provided the much-needed thrust down the order to help Pakistan post a challenging total.
Gul, who struck five fours and a six, found an ally in Sarfraz Ahmed (19 off 28), and the two added 53 crucial runs for the eighth wicket. (PTI)
Brief Score: Pakistan 262 for 8 in 50 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 89, Nasir Jamshed 54, Umar Gul 39; Shahadat Hossain 3 for 53) vs Bangladesh
