- Pakistan bounces back, beats Bangladesh by 7 wickets in ICC World Cup 2023.
- Fakhar Zaman’s 81 runs and strong opening partnership lead the way.
- Shaheen Afridi’s brilliant bowling restricts Bangladesh to 204 runs.
After a dismal run of four straight losses, Pakistan finally got back on track in the ICC World Cup 2023, thrashing Bangladesh by seven wickets in their 31st match at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India.
Fakhar Zaman, who made a stellar return to the squad after missing five matches, was the star of the show for Pakistan, smashing a scintillating 81 runs off just 74 balls, including three boundaries and seven towering sixes. His commanding 128-run opening partnership with Abdullah Shafique (68) set the tone for Pakistan’s dominance.
Despite Babar Azam’s dismissal for nine runs, Mohammad Rizwan (26*) and Iftikhar Ahmed (17*) steered Pakistan home comfortably, with over 13 overs to spare.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s batting woes continued as their top order collapsed to 23-3 within the first six overs, thanks to a brilliant bowling display from Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. Afridi, in particular, was unplayable, claiming three wickets in his opening spell.
Litton Das and Mahmudullah then staged a brief recovery with a 79-run partnership, but their efforts were not enough to prevent Bangladesh from being bowled out for a paltry 204 runs.
Afridi and Wasim Jr were the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, bagging three wickets each.
With this victory, Pakistan has kept their hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals alive. They will next face New Zealand in a must-win match on November 4 in Bengaluru.
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