Only Twenty20: Spinners carve out 50-run win

Hafeez continues dream run as Pakistan go up to 5th in Twenty20 rankings.

DHAKA: A resurgent Pakistan continued their winning run to defeat Bangladesh by 50 runs in the only Twenty20 international in Dhaka after having been bowled out for their lowest total against Bangladesh.

The win also put Pakistan up to fifth in the Twenty20 rankings, up two places from when the rankings were released by the ICC as Misbahul Haq’s men, buoyant after a successful series against Sri Lanka in the UAE, proved their mettle once again.

The tourists, playing their 50th Twenty20, fought back after being restricted to 135 for seven to keep Bangladesh down to 85 for nine on a slow pitch. Mohammad Hafeez claimed two for 11 in four overs  while Shoaib Malik also chipped in with two wickets in three balls as Pakistan recorded their fifth Twenty20 win over Bangladesh in as many matches.

The hosts were left to rue a lethargic batting display in which nine batsmen failed to reach double figures. The match was as good as over when Bangladesh lost half their side by the ninth over with the total on 23. But Nasir Hossain hit a defiant unbeaten 35 with two boundaries and a six to ensure the hosts batted out their stipulated 20 overs.

The poor display by the batsmen undid the good work done by the bowlers who kept the Pakistani batting in check after Misbah won the toss and elected to take first strike. Spinner Alok Kapali picked up two for 12 and former captain Shakibal Hasan finished with two for 24. Hafeez top-scored for Pakistan with 25 and was named man-of-the-match for his all-round performance.

Hafeez delighted with performance

The all-rounder was happy at being given the new ball by his captain when the tourists bowled.

“The captain gave me a lot of confidence by giving me the new ball, which helped me get wickets,” said Hafeez. “When we batted the ball wasn’t coming on to the bat and we had to take singles and rotate the strike. Ultimately we put them under pressure and got the result we wanted.”

‘Pakistan are among the best’

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim conceded that beating Pakistan was going to be a tough task for his team.

“It was a difficult pitch to bat on,” he said. “Pakistan are playing consistent cricket and it’ll be tough to beat them. They’re one of the best sides at the moment.”

Misbah also agreed with his counterpart, admitting that the pitch was tough to bat on.

“It wasn’t an easy wicket,” he said. “When the tracks are good, we can really make out what the other team is like. I thought 150 might be a good score but as it turned out, 130-plus was a good score.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2011.