Pakistan pacers bowl out Bangladesh for 204, Shaheen Afridi (3/23), Mohammad Wasim Jr (3/31) and Haris Rauf (2/36) produced a riveting bowling display to bowl Bangladesh out for a low score of 204 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Tuesday (October 31).
When Bangladesh chose to bat, just four of their hitters reached double figures, and none of them were able to turn a lead into a meaningful score. With the exception of one partnership, wickets continued to fall frequently, and with 29 deliveries left, Pakistan’s pacers used reverse swing to conclude the innings.
Shakib Al Hasan’s choice at the toss was presumably influenced by his team’s performance in the match a few days prior against the Netherlands at the same location, where they were unable to pursue a low score. Bangladesh wanted to do what they usually do in white-ball cricket back home, which is score runs on slow pitches and then utilize their bowling to defend, given the slow nature of the surface. They did, however, get off to an unexpected start when Afridi hit two early in the innings and took over 100 wickets in ODIs. To give Pakistan the early advantage, he first got one to come back in and rap Tanzim Hasan LBW. Next, he got Najmul Hossain Shanto to chip a dolly to short mid-wicket.
Rauf delivered the decisive punch when crisis player Mushfiqur Rahim, who had just hit the pacer for a spectacular boundary on the off-side, nicked one behind. Bangladesh was faltering at 23/3. Mahmudullah, who had been elevated to number five in an unexpected but sensible move, joined Litton Das for a stand of 79 runs while both batsmen withstood the early going. Neither had much issue scoring runs despite the slow pace of the track, and they also contributed some momentum to Bangladesh’s innings. Litton was dismissed gently once again by Iftikhar Ahmed, the part-time spinner, just as they were about to form a meaningful partnership.
The run flow drastically decreased once that partnership was broken, and even though Shakib scored a few runs, his time at the crease was a shaky one for the Bangladeshi captain. With the exception of one over against Iftikhar, he took a long time to become comfortable and was unable to press the matter. The bowlers from Pakistan made intelligent use of the pitch by circling the area of good length and letting the fluctuating bounce do its job. Mahmudullah appeared to be headed for a huge score until Afridi exposed him during the pacer’s second over. After that, the innings drastically declined as Afridi and Wasim Jr. made extensive use of the available reverse swing.
The fact that Mehidy Hasan Miraz occasionally tossed his bat around contributed significantly to the total being above 200, but Bangladesh’s lackluster performance left them feeling discouraged. The pitch was two-paced, which didn’t help their situation, and there was a bewildering lack of understanding about how to pace the innings. Pakistan displayed a comprehensive bowling display with unwavering persistence.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 204 in 45.1 overs (Mahmudullah 56, Litton Das 45; Shaheen Afridi 3-23, Mohammad Wasim Jr 3-31) vs Pakistan