Pakistan beat Bangladesh by five wickets in their final group match . Shan Masood seals victory with 11 balls to spare to qualify for semifinals .
ADELAIDE: Pakistan put up a good bowling display to defeat Bangladesh by five wickets in their high-stakes final group match on Sunday, qualifying for the semifinals of the T20 World Cup.Pakistan was given a lifeline after losing in the Super 12 final to India and Zimbabwe, an eerie achievement for the nation.South Africa was humiliated by Netherlands, who scored a spectacular 13-run victory at the same venue earlier today.With a match in hand, India secured semifinal status, but it also gave Pakistan and Bangladesh a lifeline in a winner-takes-it-all competition.
Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals to find themselves in a tricky position before Shan Masood seized control and won with 11 balls to spare.After Pakistan lost both their openers, Babar Azam (25) and Mohammad Rizwan (32) in succession, Mohammad Haris played a crucial 18-ball 31 in the middle.Haris did a harakiri and was dismissed by Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan after seven days.Pakistan lost one more wicket in the form of Iftikhar Ahmed, who was only required to take two wickets to win. When Bangladesh wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan dropped a dolly in the first over, his opener Mohammad Rizwan got a reprieve on zero.Despite an edgy start, the duo held on and added 57 runs for the first wicket.It seemed Pakistan was coasting at the time, but it became a tumultuous battle as Nasum Ahmed (114) came close to achieving the victory.Azam's anxious stay was ended by the left-arm spinner, who was brilliant in the Powerplay, in the 11th round. Pakistan needed 59 off 48 balls as Haris calmed the game, smashing Ebadot for a boundary and six wickets.On a difficult pitch, left-handed opener Najmul Hossain Shanto slammed a counter-attacking 48-ball 54, but Bangladesh faltered in the final overs, with Pakistani spinners causing the collapse before Afridi took over in a superb haul of 422.Shanto was at his best as a performer and pierced the opponents with ease en route to his second fifty of the season.Shanto and Soumya Sarkar (20) shared 72 runs off 47 balls for the second wicket after Liton Das was dismissed early in the match, providing Bangladesh with a good platform. In two balls, the leg-spinner took two wickets, including a questionable DRS dismissal of Bangladesh skipper Shakib for a golden duck.Shanto, on the other hand, seemed to be unimpressed as he went about his business and completed a 46-ball fifty, his second in the tournament.Shanto was killed off-spinner Aftershocked by Iftikhar's error, resurfacing him with a slower one.Iftikhar returned with impressive numbers of 3-0-15-1 as Babars' ploy to attack left-handed Bangladesh batters worked out well. Haris Rauf, a speedster, looked his best and returned with 121.Pakistan keep their calm and are through to the #T20WorldCup semi-final đź‘Ź#PAKvBAN | đź“ť: https://t.co/vXUjRfB2l0 pic.twitter.com/DaSmLEN6O8
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