Pakistan signed off from the 2019 World Cup with a 94-run win over Bangladesh at Lord's. Imam-ul-Haq hit a century and shared a 157-run partnership with Babar Azam, who made 86, to help Pakistan post 315 for nine batting first. With the ball, Shaheen Shah Afridi took six for 35 to bowl Bangladesh out cheaply.
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ALL OUT! Shaheen Shah Afridi bowls the perfect yorker and Mustafizur Rahman can't get his bat down in time. Bangladesh is bowled out for 221, Pakistan wins by 94 runs!
OUT! Mashrafe Mortaza steps out to Shadab Khan, who bowls it slightly wide. Sarfaraz Ahmed collects the ball and breaks the stumps. Gone for 15, Bangladesh 219 for nine. Mustafizur Rahman is the last man in.
End of the 41st over, Bangladesh 199 for eight. Shadab Khan continues.
OUT! It's that man again! Shaheen Shah Afridi nails a yorker to castle Mahmudullah. The Bangladesh No. 5 plays inside the line, the ball goes past the outside edge and hits the base of off-stump. Gone for 29. Bangladesh 197 for eight. Mashrafe Mortaza is the new batsman in.
OUT! Mohammad Saifuddin, who made an unbeaten half-century against Pakistan, is gone first ball, out for nought. Shaheen Shah Afridi takes his fourth wicket. Saifuddin tries to flat-bat a length ball outside off-stump, but doesn't get the ball over the infield and is caught at mid-off.
OUT! Mosaddek Hossain is out, caught at long-off. Gone for 16, Bangladesh 197 for six.
Mahmudullah tries to loft Shadab Khan, but his miscued hit goes up in the air and a difficult chance at long-off isn't taken. Bangladesh 183/5 in 38 overs.
The required rate is now 9 rpo. Mosaddek Hossain is the new batsman.
BAN 161/5 in 33 overs: Shaheen strikes again! And it's the big wicket of Shakib! He bowls another cross-seam outside off-stump and Shakib nicks it behin while trying to play a late cut. He departs for 64. Is that the win for Pakistan?
BAN 139/4 in 29 overs: Blogger's curse? It must be. Shaheen Afridi comes on and breaks the partnership with his first ball of the spell! Cross-seam delivery seemed to stop on Das and the ball ballooned up to Haris at cover region. He departs for 32. Mahmudullah is the new batsman.
Fifty for Shakib! Fifty score of fifty and more for the all-rounder. The fifty partnership between him and Das is also up. Can they pull off another 300-plus chase in this World Cup?
Here's the Hafeez slippy delivery which took an eternity to reach Sarkar
BAN 105/3 in 23 overs: Shakib plays a cute shot through the vacant slip to Imad for a boundary and the 100 comes up for Bangladesh.
BAN 78/3 in 17.2 overs: WICKET! Wahab Riaz strikes by removing an in-form Mushfiqur Rahim for 16. A quick delivery and Rahim playing away from his body, chops on to the stumps. Liton Das joins Shakib.
Shakib goes past India's Rohit Sharma as the leading run-scorer of the World Cup. He also enters the top-10 run-getters list in World Cup history. This has been a phenomenal World Cup for him.
WICKET! It's that boy Shaheen Afridi! He gets through Tamim's defence with an off-cutter and disturbs the stumps! Mushfiqur is in at No. 4.
BAN 47/1 in 10 overs: Shakib has got going and has shaded the strike. Tamim is batting on 8 from 19 balls.
Bangladesh's leading batsman Shakib comes in.
BAN 27/1 in 6 overs: Soumya has been dealing in boundaries here while Tamim has struggled to get going. WICKET! Just as I say that, Soumya square cuts Amir into the hands of Fakhar at cover point region.
While Pakistan's hopes are extinguished there is still a game to be won here at Lord's.
Comical stuff from Hafeez. Ball slips out of his hand and lobs up as a full toss on leg side, Soumya skips down and smacks it to the leg side for a four. The newsroom quite enjoyed that.
BAN 8/0 in 2 overs: A two of Amir before Soumya slaps him over covers for a boundary. Haris drops Soumya at first slip and they run through for a single before Tamim clips a single to the leg side. That's the end of Pakistan's World Cup. New Zealand is through to the semifinals.
Hafeez to open the bowling to Tamim and Soumya. He starts with a maiden.
BANGLADESH INNINGS
Pakistan is known for its unpredictability but surely this must be beyond them to pull off...
Superb comeback from Bangladesh after Pakistan was coasting at 180/1 in the 32nd over. Successive five-wicket hauls for Mustafizur and he becomes the first Bangladesh bowler to get his name on the Lord's honours board in ODIs.
WICKET! Imad falls to the Fiz! He bowls it short and wide, Imad slices it to the third man fielder. He walls for a 26-ball 43. WICKET! Five wickets for the Fiz! Another slower bouncer and Amir edges it behind to Mushfiqur. Sarfaraz walks out and taps a single of the final ball. Pakistan ends with 315 for nine.
PAK 308/7 in 49 overs: Imad lofts Saifuddin over the overs to bring up 300 for Pakistan! Another slower ball, another lofted slog over covers to the cover boundary. Pakistan is still in this game. They go past 307. They will need to dismiss the Bangladesh side for 0.
Another wicket and what a ripper of a catch from the Fiz ! Shadab with a leading edge while trying to run it down to third man. Fiz changes direction in his follow through, sticks out his left hand to complete a superb catch! Pakistan is effectively eight down with Sarfaraz retired hurt.
PAK 289/6 in 47 overs: Imad with some lusty blows here. Smacks Saifuddin over the long-on boundary for a huge six! WICKET! Saifuddin gets one in the blockhole to Wahab and crashes the ball into the stumps!
Sarfaraz can't continue and has to retire hurt. Pakistan's campaign seems to be coming to an abrupt end. Wahab Riaz replaces him.
Skipper Sarfaraz is the new batsman. OUCH! His partner Imad welcomes him to the crease by crunching a drive flesh on his elbow at the non-striker's end. The physio is out tending to him.
PAK 256/5 in 44 overs: Another one bites the dust... Mustafiz digs it in short and wide, Sohail goes for an expensive cut which gets a leading edge into the hands of Soumya Sarkar at deep extra cover. That's 100 ODI wickets for the Fiz!
Imad Wasim and Haris Sohail are the two new batters.
Hafeez holes out in the deep! Not to a part-timer but to Mehidy this time. He slogs sweeps him straight to Shakib at deep square leg.
PAK 246/3 in 42 overs: 100 and out! Imam is out hit-wicket! He plays one off the hip on the back foot and trudges on to his stumps! Mustafizur gets a lucky breakthrough.
Imam brings up his first World Cup hundred and what a venue to bring it up! Off just 99 balls.
PAK 243/2 in 41 overs: Hafeez smacks one over covers and tickles one behind short fine leg for two successive boundaries off Shakib. The pair take 13 runs from the over. Imam on 98.
PAK 225/2 in 39 overs: Imam has moved into the 90s with a sweep shot straight down the ground to the longish boundary.
Hafeez punches Mortaza over mid-off for a boundary and that's 200 up for Pakistan .
Imam without much fuss has moved past 75 at a brisk rate. Has Babar set the platform for a 350-plus score? Hafeez joins Imam in the middle.
PAK 180/2 in 32 overs: Oh no.. Babar falls four short of a well-deserved 100. He scores two back-to-back fours of Saifuddin before the pacer traps him plumb in front with a full delivery. The umpire raises the finger, Babar reviews it but it doesn't save him. Good comeback from Saifuddin after conceding 14 runs from the first 5 balls.
Pakistan fans at Lord's are loving this. 'Babar, Babar' chants ringing around the arena.
PAK 163/1 in 30 overs: Stop whatever you are doing! Find your nearest TV set or a streaming network to watch this innings from Babar! The youngster smashes Musatiz for three boundaries in one over and has moved into the 80s.
The partnership is worth 115 runs now. The score predictor is 317 for Pakistan.
PAK 136/1 in 27 overs: Even if Pakistan don't make upwards of 350 today, we are witnessing a special knock from Babar. His knock is studded with some gorgeous boundaries. Imam, too, brings up his fifty and is upping his scoring rate. Mushfiqur drops a difficult chance off Babar standing up to the stumps.
PAK 108/1 in 23 overs: Babar Azam brings up his fifty and a fluent one. On the other hand, Pakistan go past 100 with the run-rate still below five. 400 seems a long, long way off.
PAK 94/1 in 20 overs: Bangladesh has managed to keep the stranglehold on Babar and Imam. Pakistan's scoring rate yet to go past five.
PAK 76/1 in 16 overs: Imam and Babar bring up their fifty-run stand. The pair is motoring along here at a good click.
Fifty up for Pakistan in the 13th over.
PAK 38/1 in 10 overs: Babar send Mustafizur to the boundary with a square drive off the back foot! A sedate powerplay for Pakistan.
WICKET! Saifuddin profits off Mehidy's tight bowling. Saifuddin bowls one full and wide, Fakhar slashes at it to the hands of the point fielder. Not the start Pakistan was hoping for. He departs for a painful 31-ball 13. Babar Azam is the new man in.
PAK 22/0 in 6 overs: Uncharacteristic from Fakhar considering the circumstances but not for lack of trying. He isn't being afforded the room to chance his arms as much as he would like to. He is batting on 12 from 27 balls. Imam crunches Saifuddin through the covers for a gorgeous boundary to end the over which only had a single to Pakistan's score.
PAK 16/0 in 4 overs: A direct hit at the bowler's end would have been the end of Tamim but Mehidy Hasan misses. Bangladesh continues with pace and spin in tandem. Pakistan needs a big score and for that to happen both openers have to click.
PAK 1/0 in 1 over: Not the kind of start one would have expected from Pakistan as Mehidy Hasan concedes just a single. Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq need to fire as Pakistan chases near to impossible chance to qualify to last-four.
PAKISTAN INNINGS
It's time for the national anthems.
Just another reminder of what Pakistan needs to do to qualify for the semis.
We are just a few minutes away from the start of the match.
Mortaza: "I'd love to bat first on this wicket as it's a used wicket. Have to bowl well and restrict them to a chaseable total. Mahmudullah and Rubel are in for Sabbir and Rubel. We've been playing well against them but this is a fresh game and they're a good side. They're starting to take off in terms of momentum and we need to play well. Yes, it will be a good milestone for us if we manage to win four games in the World Cup. It is my final World Cup game and I will try my best."
Sarfaraz: "One change, we need to score a lot. We know the margin is big, but no changes to our team. The loss against West Indies was disappointing. But we want to finish on a high note."
TOSS: Pakistan elects to bat first!
PITCH REPORT: Rameez Raja says the pitch is tailor-made for Pakistan's hopes of posting a big score of 400-plus.
Shakib says Bangladesh is hoping to finish on a high at the home of cricket. Feels the side lacked a bit of luck and the fielding wasn't up to the mark when it mattered.
Pakistan can only hope of qualifying if it bats first today. I wish they do and scores the first 500 score in ODI cricket. It's crazy to imagine how the toss could have so much bearing on proceedings as much as it could in this contest...
Alright then. This match could have meant so much more but it isn't quite the big one it shaped up to become a week back. Bangladesh is out and Pakistan has one foot out the exit door. But what of the spooky 1992 World Cup coincidences? Can Pakistan summon the spirit of '92 to pull off one last mathe-magic ?
With its semifinal chances reduced to just a mathematical possibility, former champion Pakistan will need an improbable win over Bangladesh to have a shot at making the semifinals of the World Cup when the two sides clash here on Friday.
Pakistan’s resurgence in the World Cup looked eerily close to the 1992 Cup-winning edition before India’s loss to England dented its hopes of a semifinal spot and when New Zealand went down to the host last night, it was almost over for them.
The road to the knockout stage for Sarfaraz Ahmed and his men is just an improbable mathematical calculation and that too if Pakistan wins the toss and bats first.
If Pakistan loses the toss and is asked to field, its minuscule semifinal hopes will be over even before the first ball is bowled at the Lord’s.
New Zealand finished its engagements at 11 points from nine matches after its 119-run loss to England but despite the massive defeat, the Kiwis are way ahead in terms of their net run-rate, which is +0.175, compared to Pakistan’s -0.792.
Currently placed fifth with nine points from eight matches, Pakistan faces the challenge of beating Bangladesh by 311 runs after posting 350 or by 316 runs after scoring 400, something which is practically impossible.
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Pakistan only interested in finishing on a high, says captain Sarfaraz Ahmed
The last time Pakistan faced Bangladesh in a World Cup fixture, it faced a shock defeat against the minnows.
That was in 1999.
And two decades later, as Sarfaraz Ahmed’s men take on Bangladesh, they are cautious.
While Bangladesh has crashed out of the tournament, Pakistan still has a mathematical chance of reaching the last-four. But for that, it has to win toss at Lord’s on Friday and then defeat Bangladesh by a 316-run margin.
“It is very difficult. 316 runs is a big margin. Only if you’re batting first, you can score 600 runs or 500 runs. So I don’t know what the study is behind this, but I can’t do anything,” Sarfaraz said on Thursday.
“We’re just interested in finishing the tournament on a high and doing our best against Bangladesh.”
For the record, Bangladesh has won its last four encounters against Pakistan.
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Emotional Bangladesh gears up for captain Mashrafe's World Cup farewell
As the Bangladesh cricketers trained at the Lord’s on Thursday afternoon, the Bangladesh media was busy looking for Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. While the other players walked onto the ground, the captain -- who will play his last World Cup fixture against Pakistan on Friday -- was nowhere to be seen.
The inquisitive media fraternity soon called up the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials to know what’s the matter. And in the next few minutes, all one could hear were questions like: “Mash kheltache toh kal?” (Mash is playing tomorrow, right) or “Bhaya, Mash thik ache?” (Brother, is Mash alright?)
The BCB officials clarified that the captain skipped training as he wasn’t keeping well. It has been learned that the 35-year old has pulled up a slight hamstring injury, but the team management is confident that he will play on Friday.
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Tournament so Far
With four wins from their opening eight matches - including the scalps of England and New Zealand - there are plenty of positives for Pakistan to take from this World Cup. Consistency has evaded them, however, and there is an air of resignation to their fate.
It is a tournament which has delivered some memorable moments for Bangladesh too. That opening-match triumph over South Africa has set the tone for a series of spirited - and, on three occasions, winning - performances with the superb Shakib right at the very heart of it.
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What They Said
Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed: "Definitely, we're interested in finishing on a high note. So we will try our best. It is very difficult - 316 runs is a big margin. Only if you're batting first, if you score 600 runs or 500 runs. I don't know what the study is behind [how positions are decided in future World Cups] but I can't do anything."
Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes: "There's no such thing as a dead rubber. Both teams desperate to beat each other. We certainly are. I'm pretty sure they are. They've got a lot to play for as well. So, we're looking to obviously win. We want to win. So if we can take the scalp of Pakistan in the World Cup, we'll be very, very proud of the boys."
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Facts
- Bangladesh have won their last four men's ODIs against Pakistan. Prior to this, Pakistan had recorded 31 wins from 32 clashes against the Tigers, including 25 in a row.
- Pakistan have won their last three Cricket World Cup 2019 matches; after becoming champions in 1992 they have only managed more consecutive victories at a single edition twice (four in both 1999 and 2015).
- Shakib Al Hasan has scored 542 runs so far, the most by a Bangladeshi at a single edition; in the process he has recorded six scores of 50+, only Sachin Tendulkar has recorded more in an edition of the tournament (seven in 2003).
- This will be the second meeting between Pakistan and Bangladesh at a World Cup, the first match took place when the tournament was last held in England (1999, Bangladesh won by 62 runs).
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