BAN vs PAK: Just before the start of the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand are having a go at each other in the tri-series. In the first match of this tournament, Pakistan have defeated Bangladesh by a margin of 21 runs. Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first in this contest. Courtesy of Mohammad Rizwan's 78 off 50 deliveries, Pakistan ended up at 167/5 in their quota of 20 overs. In reply, team Bangladesh managed to score only 146 runs at the loss of 8 wickets. Mohammad Rizwan was adjudged the man of the match for his stellar performance.
The Pakistan cricket team recently has been heavily criticized for the performance of their middle-order batsmen. This is one area that they will look to work on. As of now, Mohammad Rizwan has been rescuing them on every occasion and this might hurt them when they head into the all-important World Cup. Apart from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, it is Shan Masood who provides some kind of respite to the tumultuous Pakistan batting.
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Shan Masood stepped up to the occasion today as he scored a gritty 31 off 22 deliveries. The likes of Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Asif Ali did not trouble the scorers much as they failed to cross the 15 runs mark. Taskin Ahmed was the wreaker in chief for Bangladesh. Ahmed scalped 2 wickets and conceded 25 runs in his quota of 4 overs.
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Nurul Hasan-led Bangladesh team had their job cut out when they began their chase. Pakistan's Mohammad Wasim Jr steamed in and shortened Mehidy Hasan Miraz's stay. With Sabbir Rahman falling prey to Haris Rauf, Bangladesh were left reeling at 37/2. Litton Das tried to cruise his team through troubled waters but could not do much. Das ended with a score of 35 off 26 deliveries. Bangladesh certainly looked pretty unprepared for Pakistan's ferocious pace and they will have plenty of soul-searching to do before they head into the next match.
