Pakistan beat B'desh by 4 wickets

Cape Town:

Pakistan beat Bangladesh by four wickets in their Super Eights encounter at Cape Town on Thursday.

Junaid Siddique was adjudged the Man of The Match for his blazing knock of 71.

For the first time in the tournament, Shahid Afridi opened the batting for Pakistan along with Imran Nazir. But just two balls into the first over, Nazir's regular partner Mohammad Hafeez replaced him at the crease after he retired hurt without any score against his name.

Afridi and Hafeez scored briskly and brought up the fifty for Pakistan in just 5.1 overs. But Syed Rasel struck three deliveries later to send Hafeez packing for 23 runs.

Afridi too did not last long as Abdur Razzaq opened his account in the very next over with wicket of the explosive batsman who scored 39 off 15 deliveries and hit five boundaries and two sixes in the process.

Razzaq struck again in his consecutive over to scalp Younis Khan for one and reducing Pakistan to 69 for three in 8.2 overs.

Next, Shoaib Malik joined Salman Butt in the middle and put up a partnership of 33 runs with him before he was caught by Aftab Ahmed off Mahmudullah for 21. Misbah-ul-Haq followed him in the next over when Mortaza trapped him leg before for one.

Earlier, Bangladesh was bundled out for 140 in 19.4 overs after being put in to bat by Pakistan.

Junaid Siddique, who scored 71 off 49 deliveries with the help of six boundaries and three sixes was the top scorer for Bangladesh.

Opener Tamim Iqbal was run out by a direct hit which came from Mohammad Hafeez for a mere 3 runs.

Aftab Ahmed (15), who joined Siddique in the middle after Iqbal was sent back as he was stumped by Kamran Akmal in Hafeez's over.

Mohammad Ashraful was quick on his way back as he was caught leg before by Shahid Afridi. The new batsman Shakib Al Hasan returned soon when he was caught & bowled by Hafeez for one run.

The wickets were falling quickly and even Siddique fell to Hafeez after scoring a much needed 71 runs which came off 49 balls. Captain Shoaib Malik also added a wicket to his count when Nadif Chowdhury(12) fell to him as he got caught behind by Kamran Akmal.

Mohammad Ullah was run out by Umar Gul on avery cheeky single for just a run.

Pakistan are playing the same XI while Bangladesh have given Junaid Siddique a chance in place of Nazimuddin. Pakistan are already through to the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup.

For Pakistan, Malik and Hafeez impressed with two wickets each while Asif, Gul and Afridi sent back one batsman each.

Teams

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique , Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Nadif Chowdhury, Mahmud Ullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Abdur Razzak, Syed Rasel.

Pakistan: Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Misbah-ul-Haq, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif.