Abu Dhabi: Bangladesh pulled off an upset, defeating Pakistan by 37 runs in the Super Four match to enter the final of the Asia Cup here Wednesday. In the summit clash Friday, Bangladesh will face India.
Defending 239 runs, Bangladesh bowled a tight line with left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman (4/43) leading the pack. Mehidy Hasan (2/28) supported Mustafizur well. Right from the start, Bangladesh bowlers made their intentions clear, picking up two wickets in first two overs.
Apart from Imam-ul-Haq (83, 105b, 2×4, 1×6) no other batsmen stood up to the occasion and went back cheaply. Shoiab Malik (30, 51b, 2×4) and Asif Ali (31, 47b, 3×4) tried to contribute but could not stay for long at the crease and thus dismissed when needed the most.
Tail-ender batsman Shaheen Afridi (14) then tried to take Pakistan out of troubled waters but failed and Pakistan only managed to score 202/9 in their allotted 50 overs.
For Bangladesh, apart from Mustafizur and Mehidy, Rubel Hossain, Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar took one wicket each.
Earlier, Bangladesh posted 239, thanks to some brilliant batting from Mushfiqur Rahim (99, 116b, 9×4) and Mohammad Mithun (60, 84b, 4×4).
After losing couple of early wickets, Rahim and Mithun played sensibly and helped their team to post a respectable total. Mahmudullah (25) also played a good hand towards the end.
For Pakistan, Junaid Khan (4/19) was the most successful bowler while Afridi (2/47) and Hasan Ali (2/60) took two wickets each.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 239 (Mushfiqur Rahim 99, Mohammad Mithun 60; Junaid Khan 4/19) bt Pakistan 202/9 (Imam-ul-Haq 83; Mustafizur Rahman 4/43) in 50 overs by 37 runs.