Haris Rauf proved to be too quick for the Bangladesh batters, who were also troubled relentlessly by Naseem Shah, as the Shakib-al Hasan-led side lost to Pakistan by seven wickets in an Asia Cup Super 4 match here on Wednesday.
Bangladesh were bundled out for a paltry 193 and then Pakistan rode solid innings from Imam-ul-Haq (78) and Mohammed Rizwan (63 not out) to reach the target in 39.3 overs.
Earlier, despite a 100-run stand and half-centuries by skipper Shakib (53 off 57 balls) and former captain Mushfiqur Rahim (64 off 87 balls), Bangladesh suffered a twin batting collapse on either side of the fifth wicket partnership.
They were reduced to 47 for 4 during the first Powerplay and again lost six wickets for 47 runs between overs 30 and 39. Rauf (4/19) traumatised the batters with sheer pace while Naseem (3/34) also added seam and swing to it.
Afghan claim
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott has claimed that they weren’t aware of the net run rate (NRR) permutations which might have worked in their favour during their match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
While Afghanistan could have qualified if they got to the target of 292 in 37.1 overs, they were seemingly unaware of other favourable combinations. Afghanistan reached 289 for eight in 37 overs.
“We were never communicated (about) those calculations,” Trott said. “All we were communicated, was (that) we needed to win in 37.1 overs.
“We weren’t told what the overs in which we could get (to) 295 or 297. That we could qualify till 38.1 overs was never communicated to us.”
