Asia Cup highlights: Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 3 wickets in last-over thriller to knock India out

Pakistan beat Bangladesh by three wickets in their last league game at Mirpur. Catch highlights of the match here: (Scorecard | Text Commentary | Points Table)

21:48 (IST): The situation was suited for me. I knew 10-an-over from there was possible. I had the license to do it. It was a wonderful effort from Bangladesh. I would like to congratulate them for scoring 326: Man-of-the-match Shahid Afridi (59 off 25)

 

21:46 (IST): Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has a wide smile. "When Afridi is in full swing, no one can stop him. He proved it again today. Chasing a total like this gives us a lot of confidence moving forward," he says.

 

21:41 (IST): After the last couple of games, this was a great effort from the players. We were just unlucky not to win. There were some silly errors. It's really unlucky for our fans because we disappointed them again: Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim after Pakistan's win.

 

21:38 (IST): My coach and captain said 327 was achievable if we had wickets in hand: Fawad Alam (74 off 70) after Pakistan's win against Bangladesh

 

21:32 (IST): So, Pakistan's three-wicket win over Bangladesh means India will not play in the Asia Cup final on Saturday. It will be a Pakistan vs Sri Lanka final as both teams sit pretty at 13 points atop the table leaving the others (Afghanistan, Bangladesh and India) no chance to catch up. It was a mature chase from Pakistan, their highest in ODIs and Ahmed Shehzad impressed with his careful century-knock. Shahid Afridi showed that Pakistan cannot be ruled out of any game when he is still batting. He hit seven sixes in his 25-ball 59, while recording the joint second-fastest fifty in ODI history. Fawad Alam also made a huge impact on the mind of the national selectors with his 70-ball 74 that virtually saw Pakistan through before he was run-out in the last over. Umar Akmal won it comfortably though for Pakistan with a four off the next ball.

 

21:25 (IST): Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 3 wickets in a last-over thriller to knock India out of the Asia Cup. Umar Akmal won the game for his side with a four! This also means Pakistan is through to the final of the Asia Cup on Saturday where they will face Sri Lanka. Fawad Alam ran himself out off the fourth ball off the last over but Akmal pounced on the next delivery and sent it to the boundary to seal the victory for Pakistan. It is their highest run-chase in ODI history!

21:22 (IST): Pakistan have put this one in the bag for themselves. They need just 3 off the last over. (Pak 324/6 after 49 overs) Fawad Alam (74* off 69 balls), Umar Akmal (9* off 5 balls)

 

21:17 (IST): Fawad Alam is playing a gem of an innings. He has raced to 70 off just 66 balls and the last over saw two sixes hit from his bat while facing Abdur Razzak. Pakistan need an easy 13 off 12 balls now!

 

21:10 (IST): WICKET! Shahid Afridi is run-out on 59. He faced just 25 deliveries in his explosive knock, that included seven sixes and two fours. Pakistan 297/6 after 47 overs. Need 31 off 18 now!

21:00 (IST): Is there a breakthrough? Anamul Haque thought he had Shahid Afridi caught behind there while facing Shakib Al Hasan! The bat missed the ball by a mile though! Big relief for Pakistan. The ball marginally missed the stumps then on the last ball of the 46th over. Pakistan living dangerously here! They are 286/5 after 46. Need 41 off 24 balls!

 

20:52 (IST): Fawad Alam reaches his 5th ODI fifty with a single towards point off Shafiul Islam. Shahid Afridi gets into the act again with two fours and a six in the 45th over. He gets to his 36th ODI fifty in 18 balls. This is the joint second-fastest fifty in ODI history. Pakistan 281/5, need 46 off 30 balls now!

20:47 (IST): Bangladesh's hopes of getting a bonus point from this game have ended as Pakistan crossed the 260-run milestone in the 44th over. They are 265/5 after 44. Need 62 off 36 balls to win!

 

20:41 (IST): Shahid Afridi has hit five sixes in his nine-ball stay at the crease and raced to 35! Boom boom! Shakib Al Hasan was taken for 20 runs in this over, his eighth. Pakistan 260/5 after 43 overs. Need 67 off 42 balls now.

 

20:36 (IST): WICKET! Abdur Rehman decides he has had enough! He takes the aerial route against Mahmudullah only to be safely caught by Ziaur Rahman. He goes for 8 off 8 balls. Pakistan 225/5 after 41.2 overs. They need 102 off 52 balls. Big-hitting Shahid Afridi walks in to bat now! He is in fine form after winning the game for Pakistan with back-to-back sixes off the last over against India on Sunday.

20:32 (IST): Hero for Pakistan in their match against Afghanistan, Umar Akmal is all padded up and waiting patiently. Can he script a miraculous victory for Pakistan here? They are 224/4 after 41 overs, need 103 off 54 balls.

 

20:26 (IST): Abdur Rehman comes in to bat now and do we have another wicket? No, it dropped just short of the fielder after Rehman took the aerial route on the 3rd delivery of Mahmudullah's sixth over. Pakistan 215/4 after 39.3 overs.

20:22 (IST): WICKET! Bangladesh get the prized wicket of Ahmed Shehzad! He is bowled by Abdur Razzak for 103. Pakistan 210/4 after 38.3 overs.

 

20:18 (IST): 100-run partnership comes up between Ahmed Shehzad and Fawad Alam in 89 balls. Ahmed Shehzad has played well today after being relatively out-of-touch for a long time in his career. Pakistan 209/3, need 120 off 72 balls to win.

 

20:10 (IST): Ahmed Shehzad comes forward to face Abdur Razzak and drives the ball towards long-off for a single to bring up his 5th ODI century! No celebrations from him there though! He probably wants to get the job done for Pakistan and then celebrate. Pakistan 195/3 after 36.1 overs.

 

20:05 (IST): Shakib Al Hasan has been brought back into the attack by Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim. He keeps Ahmed Shehzad away from his century at 99 and gives away just two runs off his sixth over. Pakistan 194/3 after 36 overs.

 

19:55 (IST): This is a potential Man-of-the-Match performance from Ahmed Shehzad if Pakistan can manage to win here. Their chances of winning are only 17 percent though at this stage. Pakistan 179/3 after 33 overs.

 

19:47 (IST): Ahmed Shehzad is keeping Pakistan in the hunt in this big chase of 327 vs Bangladesh. He does not have a very impressive strike rate but that can be adjusted in the slog overs. Fawad Alam is hitting the odd ball for a boundary. Shafiul Islam bowled two wides in this over. This is getting interesting. Pakistan 158/3 after 31 overs.

 

19:35 (IST): Ahmed Shehzad cuts the ball to deep point for 2 runs to bring up his 7th ODI fifty. Pakistan 128/3 after 27.5 overs.

 

19:23 (IST): Bangladesh need to restrict Pakistan to 260 runs or less to secure a bonus point from this match. Pakistan 110/3 after 24 overs.

 

19:17 (IST): WICKET! Mominul Haque strikes again! Sohaib Maqsood is not happy with the umpire's decision as Anamul Haque clings on to a catch behind the wicket that was supposed to have come off Maqsood's bat. He has to depart though at 2 off 5 balls. Pakistan 105/3 after 22.5 overs.

 

19:12 (IST): WICKET! Shakib Al Hasan strikes! It's Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who is foxed and clean bowled. He falls for 4 runs off 4 balls. Pakistan 102/2 after 21.5 overs.

19:07 (IST): WICKET! Mohammad Hafeez was being impatient and took the aerial route against Mominul Haque only to be caught safely by Imrul Kayes. He scored 52 off 54 balls. Pakistan 97/1 after 20.4 overs.

 

18:57 (IST): Only three runs have come off the last three overs. Pakistan 89/0 at the end of 19 overs after Mominul Haque bowls a maiden.

 

18:51 (IST): Mohammad Hafeez comes forward and pushes the ball towards extra cover for a single to bring up his 20th ODI fifty. Pakistan 89/0 at the end of 17 overs.

 

18:45 (IST): Mohammad Hafeez is using his feet brilliantly. It is helping him score boundaries freely. Ahmed Shehzad has taken off his helmet and adopted a stance similar to that of Indian stand-in skipper Virat Kohli. Pakistan 79/0 after 14 overs as Hafeez finds the boundary on the last ball of Mominul Haque's second over.

 

18:38 (IST): An interesting stat! Pakistan have failed to chase 250 or more in 12 successive ODIs before the current match vs Bangladesh. They are 60/0 after 13 overs.

 

18:33 (IST): Pakistan openers have made a solid start chasing 327 vs Bangladesh. They are 56/0 after 11 overs. The run-rate stands at just a bit over 5 but the important thing is that they have not yet lost a wicket.

 

18:26 (IST): Shakib Al Hasan bowls a maiden over again. He has given away just two runs off his three overs. Pakistan 42/0 after 9 overs.

18:23 (IST): Abdur Razzak into the attack now and is that dropped? No, it fell just short as Mohammad Hafeez tried to play it down to the bowler. He made up for it with a four off the last ball. Pakistan 42/0 after 8 overs.

 

18:13 (IST): Shakib Al Hasan makes things tight for Pakistan with a maiden over in his first. Pakistan 26/0 after 5 overs.

 

18:10 (IST): Spinner Shakib Al Hasan is introduced into the attack in the fifth over itself. Pakistan 26/0 after 4 overs.

 

18:01 (IST): Mohammad Hafeez (10 off 8 balls) has taken Pakistan to a good start! They are 16/0 at the end of 2 overs. Ahmed Shehzad looks a little out-of-touch and is playing more cautiously.

 

17:51 (IST): Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad will open for Pakistan as they begin their daunting chase of 327 against Bangladesh.

 

17:09 (IST): So, Bangladesh hit 121 runs off the last ten overs to post a towering total of 326/3 at the end of 50 overs. All five batsmen at the top registered scores above 40 runs with the top four scoring half-centuries including Anamul Haque's 100. They will now try to bowl well against Pakistan to defend this score and possibly secure a bonus point. India will be hoping for a Bangladesh victory.

 

17:07 (IST): This is Bangladesh's highest ODI score against any opposition. They finish at a towering score of 326/3 after 50 overs. Shakib Al Hasan scored an unbeaten 44 off just 16 balls after coming back from a three-match ban. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim was unbeaten on 51.

17:02 (IST): The 49th over from Saeed Ajmal goes for 12 runs. He finishes with unlikely figures of 2/61. Both batsmen in the mood to take this over 330-plus for Bangladesh. (BAN 312/3 after 49 overs)

 

16:57 (IST): If Bangladesh win today, it will improve India's mathematical chance of qualifying for the final of Asia Cup 2014. They will then want Bangladesh to win against Sri Lanka with a bonus point, win themselves against Afghanistan with a bonus point and hope for a better run-rate in a three-way tie situation between themselves, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

 

16:57 (IST): The fourth wicket partnership between Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan has crossed the 50-run milestone in just 20 balls. Bangladesh 300/3 after 48 overs.

 

16:51 (IST): Shakib Al Hasan is on fire! He has raced to 23 off just 6 deliveries including two fours and one six off Saeed Ajmal in the 47th over. (1 4 4 6 1 1)  Bangladesh 294/3 after 47.

 

16:44 (IST): Shakib Al Hasan comes in to bat now after serving a three-game ban. The 46th over is taken for 17 runs (2 1 4 1 1 5wd 4). Shakib gets off to 9 from just 3 deliveries. Bangladesh 277/3 after 46.

 

16:38 (IST): WICKET! Saeed Ajmal gets rid of Mominul Haque! It doesn't help lower down the scoring rate though as Mushfiqur Rahim takes him for two fours off two consecutive deliveries in the 45th over. Bangladesh 258/3 after 45.

 

16:30 (IST): Mominul Haque gets into the act now! He drives Saeed Ajmal to deep point for two runs and reaches his 3rd ODI fifty in just 44 balls! Bangladesh 236/2 after 43 overs. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim is showing no mercy on the bowlers from the other end.

16:12 (IST): WICKET! Anamul Haque decides to take the aerial route off Saeed Ajmal on the first delivery of the 40th over, only to be caught safely by Ahmed Shehzad. He falls on 100. Bangladesh 204/2 after 39.1 overs.

 

16:08 (IST): Both Bangladesh players content with taking singles now. Anamul Haque takes one off Mohammad Hafeez on the fourth ball of the 39th over to reach his 2nd ODI century! Bangladesh 202/1 after 38.4 overs.

 

15:59 (IST): Spin introduced from both ends now. Mohammad Hafeez will bowl the 37th over.

 

15:57 (IST): Misbah-ul-Haq brings Saeed Ajmal back into the attack and he responds well by giving away just three runs off his fourth over. Bangladesh 192/1 at the end of 36 overs and the players will now take drinks.

15:53 (IST): Bangladesh 189/1 after 35 overs. Mominul Haque (25 off 20 balls) is giving good support to Anamul Haque on the other end. Anamul, meanwhile, is nearing his 2nd ODI century at 93.

 

15:39 (IST): Saeed Ajmal has been the best bowler for Pakistan so far. He has given away just four runs in his three overs. Misbah-ul-Haq is using him wisely. Bangladesh 167/1 after 31 overs.

 

15:28 (IST): WICKET! Imrul Kayes does not read the slower delivery from Mohammad Talha and produces a big outside edge only to be caught behind easily by Umar Akmal. He made 59. Bangladesh 150/1 after 28.4 overs.

 

15:14 (IST): Sohaib Maqsood at mid-wicket gets the hairdryer treatment from Shahid Afridi, who is livid! Maqsood lets an easy one pass for a boundary on the fifth delivery of the 26th over. Bangladesh 139/0 after 26.

 

15:07 (IST): Imrul Kayes brings up his 10th ODI fifty in style with a four off Shahid Afridi. Bangladesh 130/0 after 23.2 overs.

 

14:52 (IST): Shahid Afridi introduced and dispatched for 8 runs by the Bangladesh openers. Imrul Kayes hits a six to bring up the 100-run partnership and 100 runs for Bangladesh. (BAN 101/0, 18 overs)

 

14:46 (IST): Positive start by the Bangladesh openers. Anamul Haque reaches his second ODI fifty. The 16th over went for 21 runs. (4 1 0 6 4 6). Bangladesh 92/0.

 

14:36 (IST): Saeed Ajmal into the attack now! He stops the flow of boundaries immediately and ends his first over giving away just a single. Bangladesh 71/0 after 15 overs.

14:16 (IST): Abdur Rehman replaces Mohammad Hafeez and after bowling three over-the-waist deliveries, he is taken out of the attack by the umpire! One of them was leapt onto by the fielder for a catch but it was a no-ball. He bowled another full-toss, Anamul Haque hit it for a six but it was over-the-waist again. Fawad Alam finishes the over. Bangladesh 49/0 after 11 overs.

 

14:10 (IST): Umar Gul is losing the plot here. He bowls a short on a length delivery that goes for five wides and the next bowl is taken for a six by Anamul Haque. Bangladesh 39/0 after 10 overs.

 

14:03 (IST): Anamul Haque slams it between the fielders on the offside to hit a perfect four off Umar Gul. Bangladesh 26/0 after 7.5 overs.

 

13:57 (IST): Umar Gul learns his lessons and sticks to his line. It's a maiden over. Bangladesh 20/0 after 6 overs.

 

13:52 (IST): Anamul Haque uses his feet well to hit Mohammad Hafeez for a four. Bangladesh 19/0 after 4.4 overs.

 

13:46 (IST): The tried and tested formula of getting Mohammad Hafeez to start the bowling is working for Pakistan. He gives away just one run in his second over. Bangladesh 8/0 after 3 overs.

13:42 (IST): Imrul Kayes hits Umar Gul in the air for a four off the third ball of the second over. Bangladesh 7/0 after 2 overs.

 

13:36 (IST): Pakistan once again go in with Mohammad Hafeez to start the innings and he bowls a tidy over. Ahmed Shehzad drops Imrul Kayes at slip on the fifth delivery of the first over. Bangladesh 2/0.

 

13:06 (IST): Shakib Al Hasan is back for Bangladesh, who have also made four other changes. In the Pakistan team, Fawad Alam will replace Sharjeel Khan who is out with injury and Abdur Rehman will replace Junaid Khan.

13:02 (IST): Bangladesh have won the toss and elected to bat first vs Pakistan. Mushfiqur Rahim thinks it will be difficult to chase although the track would remain the same.

 

12:53 (IST): India's chances of making the Asia Cup final are dismal. However, Bangladesh can still sneak through to the final on Saturday.

 

Preview

Buoyed by their last-over win over arch-foes India, a rejuvenated Pakistan will look to seal a berth in the title clash as they lock horns with beleaguered hosts Bangladesh in their last round-robin Asia Cup match on Tuesday. The top two teams qualify for the summit clash and Pakistan, having collected nine points from three appearances, will go into the match as favourites.

A win for Pakistan will only make things more difficult fort India, provided Sri Lanka lose both their remaining games against Afghanistan and Bangladesh, which seems highly unlikely. Reeling under two big defeats, including one against first-timers Afghanistan, Bangladesh would try and look to regain some lost glory against their famed opponents.

In one-day cricket, Bangladesh have upstaged Pakistan just once, that too way back in the 1999 World Cup in England. And again, Bangladesh, who played the final of the last edition, would be looking to prove that the loss to Afghanistan was a mere aberration and the side has the potential to humble stiffer opponents. (Read more)

Why India won't play the Asia Cup final

Saturday's final looks like a Sri Lanka versus Pakistan affair. However, Bangladesh can make it if they beat both Sri Lanka and Pakistan with bonus points. The Lankans guaranteed themselves of a place in the title round with a massive 129-run win over tournament debutants Afghanistan in Mirpur on Monday.

Pakistan (9 points from 3 matches) must beat Bangladesh (no points from 2 matches) on Tuesday to enter the final. Even if Virat Kohli's India beat Afghanistan on Wednesday and secure a bonus point, they will finish with a maximum of 9 points but will pay the penalty of losing to arch-rivals Pakistan. (Read more)