Pakistan vs Bangladesh highlights, World Cup 2023: Fakhar Zaman’s 81 helps PAK beat BAN by 7 wickets

Fakhar Zaman departs for 81. It is Mehidy picks up his third wicket of the evening. The left-hander tried to play a shot in the cow corner region however, could not get the elevation and the ball went flat but straight to the fielder. A few quick wickets have fallen now for Pakistan trying to score some quick runs. Once again it is not alarming yet but the batters might consider taking a bit of time now and suss out any sort of momentum or belief the Bangladesh players have got. With that wicket Mehidy has picked up his 100th wicket congratulations for him as well.

Babar Azam missed a chance to play a good innings and stay at the finish line. He tried to Mehidy into the stands but could not get the timing right as the ball turned a bit and he was holed out at long-on. It is not alarm bells for Pakistan yet but it was a good chance for Babar to get some runs under his belt and get confidence. Mohammed Rizwan has walked into the middle and he might be looking to score quickly as well. This spell from Mehidy will give him a lot of confidence as despite getting a few runs with the bat he hasn't been effective with the ball. 

Babar Azam starts the innings with a sumptuous cover drive and looks like he is in form. Meanwhile Fakhar Zaman at the other end is racing away. He is continuing to play his shots. The body language of Bangladeshi bowlers now seems to be significantly down. There was a sense of frustration from Mustafizur when Fakhar cut a ball and the ball runaway towards the third man region for a boundary. The left-hander is toying with the bowling now. Is this the game which will bring back Pakistan into the tournament? Off course there are a few results which need to go their way but they are making a statement here. 

Mehidy picks up the first wicket of the innings. Shafique tried to sweep the ball and was trapped in front of the wicket. It looked plum to the naked eye however, Shafique had other thoughts and reviewed it and the replay showed all reds and he had to walk back. Babar Azam has walked into the middle and we might see a slow down of this chase for a bit as he might try to take a bit of time to get adjusted to the pace of the surface. Also will be interesting to see how Fakhar will approach his innings from here on. Finally some morale boost for Bangladesh though. 

The intentions of Pakistan batters have now changed. The openers from laying a solid foundation have now gone to finish this game off quickly and boost NRR. This is looking good for Pakistan now. They might have jitters at the halfway mark as despite bowling well they were not in the habit of winning. They have lost four games in a row in this tournament. It might not be the game which helps them qualify for the World Cup but it will certainly reinvigorate the belief in the camp that they can do it now. Bangladesh on the other hand must be curtains to their campaign. 

The partnership continues to grow. This has been excellent from Pakistan. They have maintained the tempo superbly at no point they have been attacking and neither did they let the poor ball getaway that is what has been the key to this successful partnership. Shakib on the other hand continues to chop and change bowlers not letting them get into any sort of rhythm for batters who have already seen an entire attack. More than poor batting Shakib's captaincy in this second innings has been poorer. Mahmudullah who has experience of bowling was overlooked and Shanto was given the ball which was a bit strange. 

Fakhar is playing shots now against spinners. The bowling is coming nicely onto the bat and Fakhar seems to be at his brutal best. Some of the shots he is playing have been a joy to watch. Shafique too has not fallen behind at the other end. He too is playing some classic shots. This is going from bad to worse for Bangladesh. When the first innings ended the way the surface was playing it seemed like Bangladesh spinners would come into play. But the way Pakistan batters batted they have given no chance to the Bangladeshi bowlers. 

We had a slight delay in play. Shafique is struggling with cramps and it is the second time early in the game he has been treated. This might be an indication that they won't take much of singles and will try and smack boundaries all over the park. Meanwhile, Shoriful is trying to bowl a few short balls to trouble the batters and Fakhar played a sumptuous shot over third man region for a lovely six. This is a top start for Pakistan arguably the best in the tournament. They are in a hurry here Pakistan they not only seem to get these runs looks like they want to get them quickly. 

Shakib has been defensive in the powerplay rather than being attacking. He seems to be a kind captain who wants to get through the Powerplay without not getting much damage done rather than look for wickets. Today with lowscore to defend he might have tried to pick wickets in the early overs. The way he rotates the bowlers it seems to be a tactic where he wants the batters not to get used to one kind of pace which is fine on flat wickets but on the surfaces which are offering a bit of assistance giving shorter bursts to bowlers wont let them get into any sort of rhythm. 

Mustafizur has been brought into the attack. He did have a good game against the Netherlands using his cutters at the end. This ball is still not readymade to use cutters but the pitch is still on the slower side hence maybe one will stick. This is one of the features of Shakib's captaincy where he tends to give the bowlers shot sharp bursts instead of longer spells. Sometimes they do work sometimes they do not let the bowlers get into rhythm. Someone like Rohit Sharma who has been the stand-out captains of the tournament have been more inching towards giving the extra over for the bowlers. 

Shakib might have missed the trick here. He has gone to Mehidy which on paper is a good move because he wants primarily to attack the left-hander with an off-spinner. However, Fakhar's weakness has been against seam bowling rather than spin. He struggled with his feet moment throughout the Asia Cup and even in this tournament. However, he seemed to be fresh today nevertheless it would have been better to continue with seamers from both the ends as the ball is still relatively new and all it takes is one mistake from the batter. 

Bangladesh seamers seem to by trying too hard at the moment. They are pitching the ball up but there is no swing on offer at the moment. They might consider pulling back their length a bit and hitting the surface harder. This has been a wicket which has been a bit slow hence the ball comes a bit slowly which may trouble the batters. This is an ideal game for someone like Fakhar Zaman who has been out of touch. There is not much of a swing on offer and neither is the target really big. Today might be the day were might get back into form. 

Taskin and Shoriful have taken the new ball for Bangladesh, unlike the previous games where Mustafizur Rahman did. This is a good choice from Shakib as Taskin is much more lethal with the new ball then later in the innings. Taskin tends to hit the deck harder compared to someone like Mustafizur who tends to pitch the ball up a lot more. Shoriful is also good with the new ball. As for Pakistan openers, the running between the wickets has been poor so far. New opening combination seems like they are not on the same page yet. 

Haris Rauf: Brilliant bowling from us, the wicket was very slow, we bowled straight and stuck to our plans. The ball was reversing, we discussed it and the reverse was helpful for us. He's a different class (on Shaheen Afridi), he comes and takes wickets with the new ball, puts the opposition under pressure and that's good for us.

That's it folks after winning the toss and electing to bat first it has not been much of the performance from Bangladesh. They just kept loosing wickets at regular intervals and courtesy of poor bowling from Pakistan spinners they have got themselves at least to 204. Shakib and Litton did get starts but threw their wickets away and the remaining batter just could not deal with the pace of Pakistani bowlers. Though Wasim Jr picked up three wickets it was Shaheen up at the top who did the damage. Haris Rauf too had a a good game compared to his previous outings. It is not going to be an easy chase as the dew has to play it s part for Pakistan to win this well or else Bangladesh too have spinners up their ranks who can trouble the batters. 

Fabulous over from Wasim Jr. He has been bowling stump to stump he swallowed Mehidy who swung the bat wildly and missed the ball completely and then he bowled a brilliant yorker to clean up Taskin. Another disappointing performance from Bangladesh. They haven't batted well throughout the tournament and today's innings have epitomized their World Cup campaign. And likewise for Pakistan. While seamers have been top notch the spinners have been below par and it has been the case. Bangladesh need to be right on the money from ball one and look to pick wickets. 

Spinners are done for Pakistan and it must be said it has been a pretty ordinary outing for them on a wicket which was assisting tweakers. Iftikhar did bowl well apart from his ninth over where Shakib gave him a bit of tapping. Apart from that he used the conditions well. Usama Mir on the other hand has had a poor outing. Whoever they play Shadab or Usama both seem to be backfiring for Pakistan. It was a problem which was pretty evident during the Asia Cup. Though they had enough time to rectify it they fell into the trap of continuity which arguably derailed their World Cup campaign. 

The pace has been brought into the attack and Rauf did the job. Shakib pulled a short one and the ball flew in the air for mid-on fielder Agha Salman to take a simple catch. Just when it felt like Shakib was looking better he gave away his wicket. This is the second batter in the Bangladesh line-up who was set and threw his wicket away. Seven down now Bangladesh. They might be looking to get that 220-mark. Remember the Netherlands won their game here defending 229 runs. The wicket will continue to get slow as the innings progresses and 220 might not be an easy score to chase. 

Shakib has changed gears all of a sudden. He hit three back-to-back boundaries of Iftikhar Ahmed and suddenly the momentum seemed to be shifted in favour of Bangladesh. Since that spell runs have been easy to come by for Shakib. Mehidy on the other hand has been busy since he has walked into the middle. Once again as soon as spinners have been brought into the attack the pressure seems to be lifted from the Bangladesh batters. Maybe Babar might consider bringing in Wasim Jr for a couple of overs and look for a breakthrough. 

Shakib has been terribly out of form this tournament and this inning has been an embodiment of it. This has been one of the most difficult innings to watch. He is struggling to rotate the strike. He is trying a few things but none of them seem to be working at the moment. When he had a fabulous run in the 2019 World Cup Shakib batted at number three and looked flawless. Today he came to bat at number six. Mehidy on the other hand has arguably batted in every position for Bangladesh in this tournament and looked good. Maybe Bangladesh could have kept him at the center and should have constructed the order around him. 

Another one bites the dust. Hridoy who is making a comeback into the side was looking to be attacking today and played a brilliant slog sweep for six of Usama Mir before getting out. The following delivery he slashed at a wide one and got the edge for the first slip and his short stay came to an end. Mehidy has walked into the middle and Bangladesh need to build a partnership here and that is the need of the hour. As inconsistent as Pakistan's bowling has been the Bangladesh batting has been even worse. It is an aspect which has derailed their World Cup campaign. 

Shaheen Shah Afridi picks up his 16th wicket of the tournament. It was a brilliant delivery from Shaheen the ball seemed like it was coming back in however it moved away at the last moment. Mahmadullah who was looking to play the ball on the leg-side was beaten all ends up. He is in top form today Afridi he has been running through the opposition. Every time he has been brought into the attack something has happened in this tournament. Here we are again. He has been the go-to bowler for the captain. Only if Haris Rauf had been in good form Pakistan would have been in a better position in the table than what they are in at the moment. 

Babar Azam is now bringing in the bowling changes here. He has brought Wasim Jr into attack who is bowling well at the moment. However, on thing that has been an issue for Pakistan is despite the wicket being on the slower side they don't have the spin attack to exploit the conditions which is letting Bangladesh off the hook. Shakib on the other hand is looking very scratchy. He is trying a lot of things to score runs but none of them are working at the moment. However, what is important is he is still at the crease batting along with Mahmudullah. 

Top innings from Mahmudullah he has been in top form in the tournament and it begs the question of why he wasn't picked from the first game. Even the game he made his debut against New Zealand in this World Cup he came to bat at number eight and ran out of partners. Today he came ar five and is playing a splendid knock. The onus is now on someone like Shakib to stay with Mahmudullah for a while and build a partnership of substance for the hitters to follow. Pakistan on the other hand once again have no answers in the middle overs when opposition is going after them. 

How often we have seen this kind of scorecard for Bangladesh in recent times where one batter who gets a start doesn't convert it and the remaining batters don't even get starts? It is the same tale again. If you are a Bangladesh fan it must be frustrating to watch this team play cricket, especially batting. At times you can see the brilliance in both departments but those don't get converted into a score of substance or a sustained spell. Shakib who has walked into the middle is looking terribly out of touch while Mahmudullah is batting well at the other end all the skipper has to do is hold his end up.

Litton Das played a nothing-shot in the end. He tried to work the ball on the leg-side which he could not keep on the ground and gave a simple catch to the mid-on fielder. It was a wasted opportunity from Litton he was looking in good touch and was on his way to his half-century. He stood there in disbelief for a long time and took forever to walk back to the pavilion. It IftiKhar who gets the breakthrough. Shakib has walked into the middle. He too has had a poor tournament and will be looking to change those numbers today. 

Pakistan's spin bowling has been a concern in this tournament which is something strange considering they are a subcontinent side. Be it Shadab Khan or Usama Mir they are good bowlers however, they have been inconsistent with their lengths. In Pakistan, the surfaces may be a bit on the flatter side in India there are surfaces which do turn and grip a bit. The current spinners have been premeditative of what batters would do like they do on flatter Pakistan surfaces and tend to throw in the variation delivery which the batters are feasting upon. It may also be a result of playing too much T20 cricket as well.

Litton and Mahmudullah put on a 50-run stand. This is what the doctor ordered for Bangladesh. They were struggling when the duo came together but now they have taken the Tigers to a semi-decent position. It is not over yet there is still a long way to go. The management would be hoping for one of these set batters to go on to make a big ton from here on. Mahmudullah especially has been fluent since he has come on despite this being a slow wicket. Usama Mir is slowly getting into his rhythm from Pakistan's perspective they would be hoping he can pick a few wickets. 

Despite the good start Pakistan slowly seems to stop losing grip in this game. The Bangladesh batters have been offered a few freebies here which they are scoring for boundaries. Pakistan need to be a bit careful here Mahamdullah has been in good form in recent times and if Pakistan lets him get away he might score a few run. Litton has given himself time and is now well set. The onus is on him to anchor the Bangladesh innings and take them to a decent total. 

FOUR! Poor line! Usama Mir dragged it down on the pads and Mahmudullah got a fine tickle on it and the ball ran away to the fine leg fence. Slowly but surely the Tigers are getting things back in order. Time for drinks

BAN: 66/3 after 14 overs

Mahmudullah comes up with a brilliant shot and despite the valiant effort byu the fielder it reaches the fence. Usama Mir had floated it up, outside off, a genuine half-volley and Mahmudullah hits it hard and past the diving man at covers. Good fightback from Bangladesh continues and the fifty is also up

BAN: 56/3 after 12 overs

Mandatory Powerplay has finished! Fielding restrictions are now eased, and more than for the bowling team, Bangladesh will breathe easier as they will now look to find those easy singles. Haris Rauf concedes just one run off his last over. It has been a good comeback for Rauf, who has been very expensive at this edition of the World Cup. He's been hit for the most sixes of any bowler, 14 of them

BAN: 37/3 after 10 overs

Haris Rauf comes running in and hits the good length and Mahmudullah gets a hit high on the front leg as he looks to run it down to fine leg. Haris Rauf appeals hard but the umpire says no. Babar Azam takes a review and it is seen that the ball misses the bat on UltraEdge, pitches in line, the impact looks in line as well but the ball misses the stumps. In the end a review lost for Pakistan.

BAN: 32/3 after 8 overs

FOUR! Litton Das continues to bat beautifully and hits this one from just back of a length outside off, and does well to get on top of the bounce and just strokes it past the point region for a boundary.

BAN: 27/3 after 7 overs

WICKET! Haris Rauf joins the party, and Mushfiqur Rahim goes back to the pavilion! Three fours in five balls, but Haris Rauf gets back with a wicket - has Mushfiqur Rahim caught behind. Once again, Bangladesh have lost three in the powerplay. Mahmudullah walks out to bat now.

BAN: 23/3 after 6 overs

FOUR! FOUR! What a welcome in the game for Haris Rauf by Litton Das. The batter first plays a perfect straight drive to the long off boundary and then on the next ball once again drives it past the bowler. Two in a row and the Tigers finally get a move on

BAN: 19/2 after 5.2 overs

Shaheen Afridi strikes again! After Tanzid Hasan in the first over he gets Najmul Hossain Shanto in the third as Usama Mir takes an excellent catch. Mushfiqur Rahim comes in next and makes another leave. Just one run and a wicket off it as well, excellent start from Shaheen Afridi.

BAN: 6/2 after 3 overs

Iftikhar Ahmed to operate from the other end. He bowls five good balls and then ends with a four due to a misfield and the ball runs away to the backward point boundary.

BAN: 6/1 after 2 overs

OUT! LBW! Shaheen Afridi draws first blood! Afridi gets the ball to nip back in from the off stump line. The ball hits Tanzid Hasan on the front leg as he looks to block it from the crease. There is a huge shout for LBW and the umpire raises his finger. Bangladesh lose first wicket without a run on the board. Shaheen Afridi also picks his 100th international wicket

BAN: 0/1 after 1 over

Done with the pre-match formalities and it is now time to play! The umpires are out in the middle as the Pakistan team is seen in a huddle before striding out to the middle. Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das will open the innings for Bangladesh. Shaheen Afridi has the new ball in hand and will look to get some early purchase here. A couple of slips in place, let's go...

Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mahmudullah, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam

Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf

Bangladesh have won the toss and opted to bat first. "We will bat first, looks like a dry wicket, we played the last game here, it was slow and there was turn. We have nothing to lose, we have to play well in the first 10 overs and hopefully we can go from there." - says Shakib

Second game in the tournament for Kolkata and amid hot and sultry conditions, the two teams collide today. Compared to the first game, there is no grass on the surface and it is very dry. Spinners will come into play, and it will be a challenge for the batters - observe Nasser Hussain and Shane Watsone.

All is not well in the Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh camp. Their batters have failed to post big totals. In their pervious match against the Netherlands, four of their top-six batters failed to score in double digits to be bundled out for 142 in a chase of 230. It was their sixth defeat on the trot for the Bangla Tigers.

Pakistan's biggest let down has been their batters who have failed to last the full quota of 50 overs on four occasions. The buck will certainly stop with skipper Babar Azam, their best batter, who has not been converting his starts into big scores. Babar has so far struck three fifties and he could be eyeing a big score against Bangladesh.

On a seamer-friendly Eden wicket that offered some extra bounce from short of the length during the first match on Saturday, the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim will hope to hand Bangladesh the early blows. Pakistan's biggest positive is sparkling show by Mohammad Wasim Junior, who made his World Cup debut, in place of an indisposed Hasan Ali against South Africa. Wasim returned with figures of 2/62 but the way he created pressure, especially at the death overs against Keshav Maharaj, was a big plus for the embattled side.

Pakistan will not have to just win their remaining matches but they need to win with big margins to swell their net run rate (currently minus 0.205). A defeat against Bangladesh will certainly knock them out. In such a scenario, it is expected that Pakistan players will go all-out and give their all.

Bangladesh skipper Shakib al Hasan cut a frustrated figure after his side’s 87-run loss to the Netherlands at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, going as far as saying this may have been the Bangla Tigers’ worst ever World Cup campaign. “You can say that (this is Bangladesh’s worst ever World Cup campaign) and I wouldn’t say otherwise,” he said in the post-match press conference when asked about the team’s performance in this edition of the tournament.

Former Pakistan cricketer Inzamam ul Haq has reportedly stepped down from his post as the chief selector for the Pakistan cricket team over allegations that he was also a shareholder in a prominent player management company. That role had led to conflict of interest allegations. (READ MORE)

Express Tribune said: “Pakistan’s performance was in an utter disarray — be it batting, bowling or fielding. None of the batsmen could touch three figures… Overcoming the Protea challenge, to stay afloat in the tournament, is no mean feat.”

News International said: “There was lack of proper planning in the lead-up to the World Cup… One can safely say Pakistan didn’t select their best 15 men for the all-important assignment.” Dawn (October 25) talks about Babar Azam’s captaincy and decision-making skills saying, “It is argued that he isn’t aggressive with his field placings to help his bowlers get the needed breakthroughs. There has been some conservatism in his captaincy at a time when other teams have become adventurous.”

The Babar Azam-led outfit, who started the World Cup with consecutive wins against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, falling to India, Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa in back to back matches. The results have put skipper Babar Azam under scrutiny to quit captaincy.

Roughly four kilometres from Eden Gardens, near the Sealdah Railway Station, is the Father of the Nation Statue. Backdropped by the flags of their respective nations are the busts of Mahatma Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his Bangladesh counterpart, side by side. There are several other memorabilia of Rahman too in the city, where he spent considerable years of his youth. A biopic of his, directed by Shyam Benegal was screened in the city, where its lead actor Arifin Shuvoo, said: “People of Bengal will emotionally connect more with this film than their counterparts in Bangladesh.”

There are still resplendent social, linguistic, cultural and political affinities between Kolkata, West Bengal and Bangladesh. The national anthem of both countries was penned by Rabindranath Tagore, who spent much of his lifetime in Shilaidaha, a town in Bangladesh, where a three-day celebration is held on Tagore’s birth anniversary. The city was the capital in exile for the first Bangladesh government, and at 8 Theatre Road, there is a Mujibnagar Memorial Monument and Complex in remembrance of the signing of the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender. Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bangladesh’s national poet, is still a revered literary figure in the city. (READ MORE)

The Kolkata crowd has strange behavioural patterns. They sparked a riot during the India-Pakistan Test, part of the Asian Championship in 1999. But when Bangladesh encountered Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in 2016, they vociferously supported the latter. How they would behave on Tuesday is still a mystery. But irresistible would be the layers of history and culture when Eden Gardens hosts a game between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Pakistan and Bangladesh are all but out of the semifinal race and only a miracle can save the two sides. However, they would be desperate to snap their losing streak and add some semblance of respect to their floundering campaign. Pakistan have just four points and Bangladesh have two. Hence, in this battle of the laggards, it will be interesting to see who emerges victorious. Stay tuned for more updates