Camera pans on a hyperactive Afridi arranging his field. The Bangladeshi openers follow to rather subtle cheers from the crowd. Most of them are perhaps out to fetch dinner. Amir has the ball as the countdown with a mouth fills my screen..Two slips
So, the Asia Cup Express, having itself being promoted from passenger ODIs to express T20s wheels on. Bangladesh have a chance to upgrade their ticket and confirm a berth in the finale. Can they manage to evade the nerve-maze and hop on to the seat next to India? Their recent history in hunting totals says otherwise. Can be a task against Pakistan looking to defend employing their superlative skill.
After the start that they had, Pakistan will be delighted to at least have a score which they can fight with. Malik continues to prove his worth in the middle, as he once again came into bat with the innings in tatters and then absorbed all the pressure. He found good support in Sarfraz and the duo went about steadily before turning it on in the later stages. That 70-run partnership off just 50 balls has given Pakistan some hope of staying alive in the competition. Sarfraz went on to complete a cracking half-century and remained undefeated. Bangladesh were brilliant with the new ball deflating the opposition to 28/4. But the intensity slightly fell off as the game went along. Now it's up to their batsmen to hold their nerve and book their berth in the final alongside India..
19.6 -
Al-Amin to Anwar Ali, out Caught by S Rahman!! Just like many of his colleagues, Anwar Ali hits a full toss straight to the fielder. It was outside off and Anwar Ali went deep inside the crease, had a big mow at it and Sabbir Rahman has been kept busy there all day. Right under his throat and it was his third catch of the match. Good to see some fight from Pakistan in the last 10 overs. REMUMNDER: Bangladesh have lost all their previous 3 T20 games chasing. Anwar Ali c S Rahman b Al-Amin 13(9) [4s-1]
Al-Amin to Anwar Ali, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
19.5 -
Al-Amin to Anwar Ali, 2 runs, fired full around off and Anwar Ali repeats the same shot, drilled through mid-wicket and boy! That was some running between the wickets
19.4 -
Al-Amin to Anwar Ali, 2 runs, low full toss just outside off, Anwar Ali gets across and goes for a cross-batted smite, a double to deep mid-wicket
19.3 -
Al-Amin to Sarfraz, 1 run, yorker just outside off, Sarfraz jams his drive wide of the keeper (to his right)
19.2 -
Al-Amin to Sarfraz, SIX, full toss and Sarfraz ain't missing out on that. Goes for a big slog across the line and it had enough legs to clear the deep square leg fence
19.1 -
Al-Amin to Anwar Ali, 1 run, high full toss outside off, Anwar Ali drives it through cover, it was a mistimed stroke and hence went straight towards the fielder
Can Pakistan get to 130? With Sarfraz still in the crease anything might be possible...
18.6 -
Taskin Ahmed to Sarfraz, FOUR, well played Sarfraz Ahmed! Fifty for him. Take a bow! This is what he wanted to do on the third ball of this over. Manages to get the desired power and placement on this one. It was full and outside off, Sarfraz backs away slighly and lifts the drive over cover, well wide of sweeper cover
18.5 -
Taskin Ahmed to Anwar Ali, 1 run, full toss again, Anwar Ali muscles that down to extra cover, should have done better
18.4 -
Taskin Ahmed to Anwar Ali, FOUR, short ball, top-edge but a boundary nevertheless. Pakistan won't mind that. This was angled into the batsman and Anwar Ali was in no position to pull that. Goes through with the stroke and the edge flies over short fine
18.3 -
Taskin Ahmed to Sarfraz, 1 run, full and wide again, Sarfraz makes some room and gets underneath the ball, lifted the drive over cover, on the bounce to the fielder at sweeper
18.2 -
Taskin Ahmed to Anwar Ali, 1 run, short ball and plenty of room on offer, Anwar Ali goes hard on the cut and might have got it off the toe-end, to sweeper cover
18.1 -
Taskin Ahmed to Sarfraz, 1 run, full and outside off, Sarfraz backs away and drives that through cover
Taskin Ahmed [3.0-1-2-1] is back into the attack
17.6 -
Al-Amin to Anwar Ali, 2 runs, full and there was enough width for Anwar Ali to drive that through cover. Tamim flings the ball back to the bowler, from deep extra cover. However, the bowler wasn't alert to the situation, ends up conceding an extra run by not backing up
17.5 -
Al-Amin to Anwar Ali, no run, yorker outside off, Anwar Ali digs it back to the bowler
17.4 -
Al-Amin to Sarfraz, 1 run, full and angled in, Sarfraz drills it through mid-wicket
Anwar Ali, right handed bat, comes to the crease
17.3 -
Al-Amin to Afridi, out Caught by S Rahman!! Second ball duck for Shahid Afridi. It was a full toss again and guess where Afridi smashed it. Straight into the safe mitts of Sabbir Rahman at deep mid-wicket. Muscled it powerfully but it was hit high on the bat. Sabbir accepts it gleefully and has his hands aloft in delight. Afridi c S Rahman b Al-Amin 0(2)
Al-Amin to Afridi, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
17.2 -
Al-Amin to Afridi, no run, was that a catch? Jussssssst. Dropped right in front of Sunny. It was full toss outside off, Afridi goes hard at it, the drive. Ends up slicing it and the ball drops just short of the fielder at short third man
17.1 -
Al-Amin to Sarfraz, 1 run, full at the stumps, driven down to long-on
Al-Amin Hossain [2.0-0-9-1] is back into the attack
16.6 -
A Sunny to Sarfraz, 1 run, sweeps hard but finds the fielder at short fine, only a single on offer
16.5 -
A Sunny to Sarfraz, 2 runs, steps out and whips this length ball through mid-wicket
Shahid Afridi, right handed bat, comes to the crease
16.4 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, out Caught by S Rahman!! Sunny shifts to over the wicket for this delivery and straightaway gets the desired outcome. Floated it up just outside off and Malik fetches the slog-sweep from there. Ekes out a thick top-edge and Sabbir Rahman settles under a sitter at deep mid-wicket. He lost his shape a bit as he was playing across the line and Sabbir Rahman's catch was a smart one. Had to wait for the ball and remember it was coming right under the dark sky. Shoaib Malik c S Rahman b A Sunny 41(30) [4s-5 6s-1]
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
16.3 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, FOUR, flat and well wide of off, Malik sits on one knee and hammers it through cover. Shakib runs to his left and throws himself but to no avail
16.2 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, 2 runs, full toss and would have been a wide had Malik left that. It was down leg at 99ks and Malik whips it behind square leg, easy double
16.1 -
A Sunny to Sarfraz, 1 run, down the track again, it was flatter and on middle, Sarfraz on-drives towards long-on
Arafat Sunny [3.0-0-25-1] is back into the attack
15.6 -
Shakib to Shoaib Malik, FOUR, full toss and Malik shimmies down the pitch to smack it over Shakib's head. The bowler leaps and sticks his right hand up but it was hit with some power
15.5 -
Shakib to Shoaib Malik, FOUR, full and dipping well wide of off, Malik nails it through extra cover, just got to middle it and he did that with ease. No chance for the fielder in the deep
15.4 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, 1 run, lot of revs on this delivery, Sarfraz camps back and cuts that past point
15.3 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, 2 runs, shuffles across, advances and turns this fullish ball through mid-wicket
15.2 -
Shakib to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, slider into the pads, flicked behind square
15.1 -
Shakib to Shoaib Malik, no run, fired flat and full, just beside the tramline, Malik lets it go
Shakib Al Hasan [3.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack
Finally some momentum in the Pakistani innings, courtesy some smart batting by Malik and a calm head from Sarfraz
14.6 -
Mortaza to Sarfraz, SIX, that's in his zone and Sarfraz won't miss out on those, even in his dreams. Full toss at the stumps and Sarfraz deposits it into the mid-wicket stands
14.5 -
Mortaza to Sarfraz, no run, that's ambitious from Sarfraz. Drops to one knee and seeks to pull a short ball over his right shoulder. The ball was slanted across him and bounced extra to beat him all ends up
14.4 -
Mortaza to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, flicked wristily to deep mid-wicket
14.3 -
Mortaza to Sarfraz, 1 run, short ball and Sarfraz was hurried into the pull stroke, hurried for pace. Manages to drag the pull off the splice through mid-wicket
14.2 -
Mortaza to Sarfraz, 2 runs, round the wicket comes Mortaza. Sarfraz allows the ball to come in and just turns it towards deep mid-wicket, good running takes care of the rest. Three years back no-one would have thought Sarfraz would stand a chance to become the captain of Pakistan and trust me if there is anyone who can step into Misbah's shoes in Test cricket it is THIS MAN...
14.1 -
Mortaza to Sarfraz, FOUR, superb from Sarfraz! A bit short and Sarfraz waltzes down the track to marmalize it wide of cover. Picked the length early and slotted it well wide of the fielder
13.6 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, SIX, jeez! That's typical Malik for you. He plays the spinners well and here's an example of that. A little shimmy, get to the pitch of the ball and smoked it over the bowler's head - Everything right about the stroke...
13.5 -
A Sunny to Sarfraz, 1 run, the length is full again, Sarfraz comes down the track and whips off the pads to deep backward square
13.4 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, Malik charges down trying to manufacture a big shot, the ball was full and he ends up jamming the drive through cover
13.3 -
A Sunny to Sarfraz, 1 run, sinks to one knee and sweeps this full ball behind square on the leg-side
13.2 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, leans on the front foot and drives this flat delivery through cover
13.1 -
A Sunny to Sarfraz, 1 run, and straightaway! Sarfraz seems to have read my lines. Dances down the pitch and goes for a muscular biff over mid-on. Didn't get to the pitch of the delivery and manages a toe-end which lands well in front of long-on
Arafat Sunny [2.0-0-14-1] is back into the attack
Pakistan are struggling a bit. Something's gotta give here...
12.6 -
Mortaza to Shoaib Malik, no run, hurries down the pitch and cramps himself for room, Mortaza cleverly pulled his length back and Malik could only dab it towards backward point
12.5 -
Mortaza to Shoaib Malik, 2 runs, fraction short and Malik jumps on the back foot, didn't time the pull all that well but manages to drag it off the inside half through mid-wicket
12.4 -
Mortaza to Shoaib Malik, no run, bunts this ball into the pitch and it rolls to the off-side
12.3 -
Mortaza to Shoaib Malik, FOUR, plenty of width on offer and that's crashed into the third man fence. Malik leant on his back leg and executed the late-cut to perfection
Interesting tactic this from Mortaza. He is bowling from over the wicket to Malik and round the wicket to Sarfraz...
12.2 -
Mortaza to Sarfraz, 1 run, keeps it full and just outside off, Sarfraz drives this to the right of mid-off
Mortaza is bowling from round the wicket to Sarfraz ...
12.1 -
Mortaza to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, length delivery and Malik tucks it through square leg
Mashrafe Mortaza [2.0-0-7-1] is back into the attack
11.6 -
Shakib to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, driven to sweeper cover
11.5 -
Shakib to Shoaib Malik, 2 runs, short and Malik had ample time to pick his spot. Rocks back and pulls it over mid-wicket. Sabbir Rahman from long-on moves swiftly to his right and dives, only to make a half-stop. He though recovers well in time to slide the ball back. Should have been a single but saved a boundary nonetheless
11.4 -
Shakib to Shoaib Malik, no run, driven towards short cover
11.3 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, 1 run, turned towards short mid-wicket for an easy single
11.2 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, no run, did he catch it? Oh, no! Just short of a desperate diving Mushfiqur Rahim. It was nicely tossed up around off and middle, Sarfraz shimmies down the pitch and he didn't have enough room to play the stroke he wanted. Tried to clip that through the leg-side maybe. Gets a bit of inside edge onto pad which lobs right in front of him. The keeper runs forward and dives full length but the ball died down way too early
11.1 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, 2 runs, backs away even before the ball is delivered. Shakib fires it full and on middle, Sarfraz crunches the drive through cover
10.6 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, FOUR, Sunny loses his radar, drifts this one onto the pads and Malik just helped it away with a fine tickle, off she goes into the fine leg fence
10.5 -
A Sunny to Sarfraz, 1 run, tossed up outside off, Sarfraz comes down the track and flicks it to deep square, he has looked in fine touch so far. Must say it's a good move from Pakistan to send him up the order
10.4 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, stays on the back foot and punches this ball through cover
10.3 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, no run, this one came on with the arm, a little shortish in length, Malik punches to the right of the bowler who dives and makes a fine stop
10.2 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, no run, floated on middle again, Malik lunges forward and drives gently, back to the bowler again
10.1 -
A Sunny to Shoaib Malik, no run, on middle and leg, pushed back to the bowler
Arafat Sunny [1.0-0-8-1] is back into the attack
There seems to be some issue with the sightscreen. The crowd are absolutely loving it. Flash of mobiles across the ground...
9.6 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, FOUR, this one was angled into Sarfraz but he does well on the cut, goes deep in the crease and cuts it away towards the deep backward point fence, beat a diving fielder in the ring
9.5 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, no run, comes down the track and pushes it to short cover
9.4 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, no run, Sarfraz stays leg-side of the delivery and pushes it back to the bowler
9.3 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, no run, comes down the track and Shakib keeps it flat and short, Sarfraz is hit on the pad
9.2 -
Shakib to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, shortish and Malik goes back in the crease, mistimes the pull to mid-wicket
9.1 -
Shakib to Shoaib Malik, no run, spinning away outside off, mistimes the push towards cover point
8.6 -
Taskin Ahmed to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, in the air, but away from the fielder at backward point, short outside off, Malik wanted to punch it off the back foot, got a thickish outside edge and it goes uppishly towards third man, Malik gets off the mark
8.5 -
Taskin Ahmed to Shoaib Malik, no run, Taskin keeps it tight on off once again, Malik gets forward and defends it to the right of the man at backward point
8.4 -
Taskin Ahmed to Shoaib Malik, no run, length outside off, Malik covers his sticks and lets it go
8.3 -
Taskin Ahmed to Shoaib Malik, no run, Taskin angles it into the new man, he defends it back to the bowler
Shoaib Malik, right handed bat, comes to the crease
8.2 -
Taskin Ahmed to U Akmal, out Caught by Shakib!! AKMAL GOES! There was no need for this shot at this moment. Akmal comes down the track and makes room while doing so, throws the kitchen sink at it, slices it and the ball flies high towards sweeper cover, the fielder settled under it and did not make a mistake. Pakistan are 4 down and they have not even put 30 on the board yet. U Akmal c Shakib b Taskin Ahmed 4(11)
Taskin Ahmed to U Akmal, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
8.1 -
Taskin Ahmed to U Akmal, no run, fuller length on middle and off, Akmal defends it back to to bowler
Taskin Ahmed [2.0-1-1-0] is back into the attack
7.6 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, no run, goes hard on the cut, mistimes it to short cover
7.5 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, no run, slower and wide outside off, Sarfraz goes for the sweep and fell over, manages to keep his back leg inside the crease
7.4 -
Shakib to U Akmal, 1 run, sliding onto middle, Akmal punches it to mid-on
7.3 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, 1 run, Shakib is appealing but the umpire is not interested, Sarfraz went for the sweep and got it off the glove to his pad, the ball rolled behind the stumps towards short fine leg for a single
7.2 -
Shakib to Sarfraz, no run, slower again, Sarfraz pushes it to short cover
7.1 -
Shakib to U Akmal, 1 run, round the wicket comes Shakib and bowls it slower through the air, Akmal punches it long-off for a single
Shakib Al Hasan, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
6.6 -
Mortaza to Sarfraz, no run, length delivery on off, Sarfraz punches it back to the bowler, who leaps high and gets a hand to it
6.5 -
Mortaza to Sarfraz, FOUR, half-volley on the middle and leg line, Sarfraz clips it away through mid-wicket and the ball races away to the fence in a jiffy
6.4 -
Mortaza to U Akmal, 1 run, length delivery and Akmal tucks it from the crease to mid-wicket
Akmal pulls away but Mortaza delivers it anyway, dead ball called
6.3 -
Mortaza to U Akmal, no run, Mortaza brings this one into Akmal, he stands tall in the crease and defends
6.2 -
Mortaza to U Akmal, no run, this one leaves the batsman a little outside off, he has a feel for it and is beaten
6.1 -
Mortaza to U Akmal, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, Akmal defends it to backward point
5.6 -
Al-Amin to Sarfraz, no run, length delivery outside off, Sarfraz dabs it to straight to the fielder at point
5.5 -
Al-Amin to Sarfraz, no run, that is a great effort from Sabbir Rahman at backward point, it was cut with disdain, the length was short outside off and Sarfraz went hard at it, could not pierce the gap though. Rahman dived to his right and pulled off a fine stop. Saved four and got the appreciation from his mates for that effort
5.4 -
Al-Amin to U Akmal, 1 run, gets back in the crease and tucks this back of a length delivery to backward square leg
5.3 -
Al-Amin to U Akmal, no run, yorker length and just outside off, Akmal digs it out after watching it close to his body
5.2 -
Al-Amin to Sarfraz, 1 run, the last thing Pakistan would want is a run-out here, Sarfraz tapped this length delivery in front of point and set off, the fielder was quick to react and had a shy at the striker's end, luckily for Akmal, Sabbir Ahmed missed
5.1 -
Al-Amin to Sarfraz, no run, length delivery outside off and Sarfraz punches to cover
Al-Amin Hossain [1.0-0-7-1] is back into the attack
4.6 -
Mortaza to U Akmal, no run, big appeal for caught behind but the umpire does not acknowledge the appeal, the ball nipped off the pitch and Akmal hung his bat at that, was beaten completely
Umar Akmal, right handed bat, comes to the crease
4.5 -
Mortaza to Hafeez, out Lbw!! The Professor departs! Pakistan in big, big trouble. He cannot believe he has been given out. Hafeez wears a wry smile as he walks back. Was it too high? Looked so. But the umpire does not think so, the ball came in a lot and Hafeez was caught in the crease as he tried to tuck it into the on-side, missed it and the umpire's finger sinks his hopes. Replays show it was going over, so another poor decision in this tournament. Hafeez was struck on the back thigh and had a wry smile on his face when the umpire raised the finger. No dissent shown and that is good to see. Hafeez lbw b Mortaza 2(11)
Mortaza to Hafeez, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
4.4 -
Mortaza to Hafeez, no run, waits for this one and dabs it straight to the fielder at backward point
4.3 -
Mortaza to Sarfraz, 1 run, good running between the two there, softly dropped this length delivery in front of short cover and set off
4.2 -
Mortaza to Sarfraz, no run, length delivery just outside off, Sarfraz goes for the punchy drive, only manages an inside edge onto the pads, wants a single but it is not there
4.1 -
Mortaza to Hafeez, 1 run, walks down the track but the length is not there to go for the shot, Hafeez pulls it to backward square leg for a single
Mashrafe Mortaza, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
3.6 -
A Sunny to Sarfraz, FOUR, not a great shot to get off the mark but he will take it, goes for the sweep on this flatter delivery, gets a top edge and the ball rolls away to the fine leg fence
Sarfraz Ahmed, right handed bat, comes to the crease
3.5 -
A Sunny to Sharjeel Khan, out Bowled!! Bringing a spinner early on in the innings has done the trick for Bangladesh. Not a great delivery to get the wicket but poor shot selection from Sharjeel means that he has to walk back to the hutch. Tossed up delivery and Sharjeel slogged across the line, missed it completely and it crashed onto the middle stump. Pakistan in a bit of pickle now. Sharjeel Khan b A Sunny 10(8) [4s-1 6s-1]
A Sunny to Sharjeel Khan, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
3.4 -
A Sunny to Sharjeel Khan, no run, appeal for an lbw from Arafat, the ball had pitched outside leg though, Sharjeel wanted to swipe and wore it on the pads
3.3 -
A Sunny to Sharjeel Khan, no run, flatter on middle and leg, Sharjeel tucks it to backward square leg
3.2 -
A Sunny to Sharjeel Khan, FOUR, shortish and Sharjeel pulls it, it was not far away from the diving fielder at backward square leg, who dived to his left but did not get hand to it, the ball rolled away towards the fence
3.1 -
A Sunny to Sharjeel Khan, no run, tossed up delivery on the stumps, Sharjeel defends off the front foot
Arafat Sunny, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
Round the wicket comes Sunny
2.6 -
Taskin Ahmed to Hafeez, no run, nicely forward this time, so unlike T20Is, gets bat behind this length delivery and defends to cover. Maiden from Taskin Ahmed
2.5 -
Taskin Ahmed to Hafeez, no run, Taskin Ahmed angles this one in from wide of the crease, Hafeez ekes out an inside edge onto the pads on the defence and the ball rolls towards point
2.4 -
Taskin Ahmed to Hafeez, no run, wild hoick from Hafeez and he is beaten, not short enough and Hafeez rotated his body on the hoick, could only meet with thin air though
2.3 -
Taskin Ahmed to Hafeez, no run, the line is just outside off and Hafeez has no issues in leaving this one to the keeper
2.2 -
Taskin Ahmed to Hafeez, no run, angled into Hafeez from a length, he defends it with an angled bat from the crease
2.1 -
Taskin Ahmed to Hafeez, no run, back of a length delivery angled into Hafeez, he stays in the crease and defends towards cover
1.6 -
Al-Amin to Sharjeel Khan, no run, length delivery slanted across the left-hander, he firmly pushes it to mid-off
1.5 -
Al-Amin to Sharjeel Khan, SIX, that is a great pick up shot from Sharjeel, just a flick of the wrists on this length delivery, which was on middle stump, Sharjeel whipped it over the deep backward square leg fence and it just carried over the fence
1.4 -
Al-Amin to Sharjeel Khan, no run, angled across Sharjeel from a length, he punches it from the crease to backward point, cannot find the gap though
1.3 -
Al-Amin to Hafeez, 1 run, dishes this one on a length and Hafeez runs it down to third man to get off the mark
1.2 -
Al-Amin to Hafeez, no run, length delivery and outside off, Hafeez lifts his bat and lets it go
Mohammad Hafeez, right handed bat, comes to the crease
1.1 -
Al-Amin to Manzoor, out Caught by Rahim!! Big, big wicket and Manzoor has to walk back. It was a great delivery and Manzoor had no answer to it. Kept it on a back of a length and got the ball to rise too much, Manzoor wanted to play at it but decided to drop his gloves at the last moment, got too late and edged it off the splice into the hands of the keeper. The keeper went for a big appeal and the bowler joined in, umpire took his time and raised his finger to send Manzoor back. The umpires check for a no-ball for Al-Amin's front foot was fine. Manzoor c Rahim b Al-Amin 1(7)
Al-Amin to Manzoor, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Al-Amin Hossain, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Taskin Ahmed to Manzoor, 1 run, extra bounce for Ahmed once again, the line was outside off, Manzoor waits for it, gets tall and opens the face of the bat to guide it to third man
0.5 -
Taskin Ahmed to Manzoor, no run, finally Khurram gets some bat on it, shortish and outside off, Khurram gets tall in the crease and guards it out towards backward point
0.4 -
Taskin Ahmed to Manzoor, no run, Manzoor goes with a horizontal bat on a similar delivery, no change in the result though, the ball eludes his bat into the mitts of the keeper
0.3 -
Taskin Ahmed to Manzoor, no run, not a great delivery, well wide of off, Khurram goes for the expansive cut, was too late on the shot and gets beaten
0.2 -
Taskin Ahmed to Manzoor, no run, big inswing for Taskin Ahmed from wide of the crease, Khurram defends it from the crease
0.1 -
Taskin Ahmed to Manzoor, no run, extra bounce for Taskin Ahmed straightaway, Manzoor drops his bottom hand and defends awkwardly towards backward point
Manzoor and Sharjeel Khan are at the crease. Manzoor is on strike. Taskin Ahmed will open the attack
With that, I need to skip out of office and put my legs up on a featherbed. Pakistan keep doing this to all of us. So, the final is set. It will be Bangladesh vs India on the 6th of March. But we have some matches preceding that too. Join us for all of it. Till then, this is Sagar Chawla wrapping up on behalf of our scorer Mani and my co-commentators Pratyush Sinha, Raju Peethala and Abhishek Chaudhary. Goodbye!
Mortaza: "It's a big win for us. Almost like a semi-final. Told my boys to grab it. We will face many matches like this, so don't take any pressure. Good sign that Sarkar has come back in form. We coped with pressure nicely and obviously it's a big win for us. Just have to enjoy each other's company ahead of the final. Hopefully we'll do that and give our best. Always a pleasure to play in front of home crowds. They've been supporting us all along and hopefully they'll keep doing so."
Soumya Sarkar is the Man of the Match for his run-a-ball 48 which stabilized the run-chase. Unfortunately he's not called upon for the interview so we won't hear from him.
Afridi: "Want to congratulate both Bangladesh and India for qualifying. We keep repeating mistakes again and again which you can't do. Bowlers did a good job but we were 20 runs light. Need to do something very special in the World T20 otherwise we don't deserve to win it. We keep giving chances to youngsters. These are the players we have and we will continue to give them chances. What else can we do? We have to win our final game in this tournament which will be crucial for our morale."
Ramiz Raja is doing the presentation honours..
This was a fierce battle where Pakistan almost turned up - with the ball and in installments. Powered by Bangladesh's top-shelf bowling effort and helped by Pakistan's aversion to singles, a target of 130 resulted and Bangladesh hunted it down but not sans drama. An Amir yorker stunned Soumya Sarkar just when his impending fifty looked set to sail Bangladesh through and then Shakib lost his stumps to spell danger. The Amir-effected wickets sandwiched Mushfiqur Rahim's debatable LBW and hopes then ballooned. Bangaldesh's pursuit for a stable start was cut short earlier, much like Tamim's peekaboo innings which featured a gigantic six before he perished to Irfan in a 4-ball stint. Sabbir Rahman's red-hot form yielded to some Afridi magic but there just weren't enough runs in the bank. Mahmudullah and Mortaza rode on Sami's hospitable no ball-laden over to set up a blockbuster finale against India.
The scenes at the Shere Bangla explain why we watch the sport in the first place. The crowds are roaring themselves to sore throats, and Afridi is absolutely disconsolate. Such unbridled emotions. Bangladeshi players get into a jumping-huddle. They embrace, fist pump, scream. Brilliant! Even the Bangladeshi Prime Minister is here flashing a big smile. "Really emotional. The final match of Asia Cup 2012 came into memory and hopefully that can be wiped off now. Pressure is always there. When to calm down, when to play your big shots, you have to make the decisions," says a relieved Mahmudullah
19.1 -
Anwar Ali to Mahmudullah, FOUR, Mahmudullah whacks a full toss wide of long-on and takes off in celebration. He doesn't have long to do so as his teammates are all over him. Bangladesh are through to the final. What a match.
Anwar Ali [2.0-0-21-0] is back into the attack
The game is nearly done. 3 required off the final over. And Pakistan is not chasing them, which would've left some hope, but defending. Anwar Ali is assigned the task
18.6 -
Sami to Mahmudullah, 1 run, slower short ball on the stumps, Mahmudullah is early into the pull and toe-ends it towards deep mid-wicket
18.6 -
Sami to Mahmudullah, no ball, FOUR, I'm afraid Mohammad Sami will be banished in Bangladesh forever. I can't believe what's happening. Another no-ball, another free-hit on offer and the match is blown away. To make matters worse, Mahmudullah has sliced a near-yorker between backward point and short third man
18.5 -
Sami to Mahmudullah, 2 runs, that's running away to the fence. But long-off has run round to cut it off. Full ball around off, Mahmudullah spears it down and collects two
18.4 -
Sami to Mortaza, 1 run, wide yorker, Mortaza reaches out and slices it wide of backward point. What a ball on a free-hit. The fielder dives and keeps them to a single
18.4 -
Sami to Mortaza, no ball, 2 runs, the crowd is in raptures, you'd think they've gone mad after Mortaza is caught at long-off. But look again. Closely. And you'd find the umpire's right arm stretched. It's a god-forsaken "no-ball". You're kidding me Mohammad Sami. Good ball again, very full and Mortaza holes out. But he's committed a monstrous crime. On top of that, the throw from long-off is sky-kissing. It's like he was so miffed with the no-ball that he decided "I'm done". Or maybe he just flung it in the air in celebration, which is more likely
18.3 -
Sami to Mahmudullah, 1 run, woosh, lovely stuff. A jabbing yorker on middle, Mahmudullah rushes to get his feet out of the way and squeezes it through the covers
18.2 -
Sami to Mortaza, 1 run, jeez, Mortaza was very late on it. Speared in full just outside off, Mortaza swats it off the bottom of the bat down to long-off. There was no chance of getting any elevation as his bat barely made it down
18.1 -
Sami to Mahmudullah, 1 run, slips in a very full and brisk ball on middle, a hint of tail on it, Mahmudullah whips it down to long-on
Mohammad Sami [3.0-0-15-0] is back into the attack
Afridi has a big chat with Sami. An animated one. The type which battle commanders have before heading to war. It's still Bangladesh's game to lose. 18 in 12 with 5 wickets in hand.
17.6 -
Amir to Mortaza, no run, and again. Amir kicks the turf in frustration. A wicket is what he wanted. Fuller length and searing away wide of off, out of Mortaza's reach as he wafts
17.5 -
Amir to Mortaza, no run, angled away wide of off from over the wicket, Mortaza swishes and misses. Some pace this. 149ks
17.4 -
Amir to Mortaza, FOUR, the stadium will erupt if it doesn't behave itself. But who can blame them. Mortaza has set this ground afire. Two boundaries from two. Short ball menacingly directed towards the rib-cage, Mortaza half-ducks, sees he can't get out of the way and then commits to a half-hearted pull. Gets big on him and soars away off the splice over short fine
17.3 -
Amir to Mortaza, FOUR, that's gone away right under the fielder's dive. Full and fast on off, 150 clicks, Mortaza clears the front leg and drives it to the right of mid-off. Sami dives over the ball and lets it through
Mashrafe Mortaza, right handed bat, comes to the crease
17.2 -
Amir to Shakib, out Bowled!! Shakib is absolutely furious here. Lucky he has a bat in hand and not a sword. Swings at the broken carcass of the timber. Then puts his hand up as an apology to the umpire. Walked across looking to play the lap shot but chose the absolute worst ball to do so. Amir darted in a full ball on leg-stump and took it down. Shakib b Amir 8(13)
Amir to Shakib, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
17.1 -
Amir to Shakib, no run, ufff! Try getting that away. Fires in a blasting yorker which keeps bending towards Shakib's toes. Shakib just about gets his bat down in time and chops it onto pad
Mohammad Amir [3.0-0-18-1] is back into the attack
I have never seen the entire team gathering for a quick meeting. It's usually just 3-4 players, the senior ones whom the captain relies for advise. This is unprecedented and has resulted in Amir getting the ball for his final over. Bangladesh are 26 away. They have 3 overs to get them in..
16.6 -
Irfan to Mahmudullah, no run, zipping off from a back of a length outside off, bounces over Mahmudullah's dangling bat
16.5 -
Irfan to Shakib, leg byes, 1 run, walks across trying to scoop but is hit on the pad, drops it on the popping crease and they decide to go through. Mahmudullah dives full stretch to beat Irfan's sprint-and-flick
16.4 -
Irfan to Mahmudullah, 1 run, scorched to deep cover. Short and wide and Mahmudullah destroys it off the back foot. Would have hit far worse shots than that and got more rewards
16.3 -
Irfan to Mahmudullah, no run, changes the angle of attack and shortens the length further towards the chest, Mahmudullah fends it safely into the off-side
16.2 -
Irfan to Mahmudullah, SIX, oh boy! Mahmadullah adds one to the list of his accomplishments. Back of a length ball just outside off, clears the front leg and blazes it over mid-off. Words can't describe how good a shot that is. Keep in mind the bounce Irfan generates. Breathtaking!
16.1 -
Irfan to Shakib, 1 run, jumps from a back of a length outside off, Shakib rolls his wrists on the ball and dabs it down to third man
Mohammad Irfan [3.0-0-15-1] is back into the attack
Here comes the towering Mohammad Irfan. Afridi senses this is the point to strike. Rather than holding his one over for later, he's bowling him out. 35 needed from 24.
15.6 -
Sami to Mahmudullah, no run, a clear inside edge onto pad snuffs out the appeal prematurely. Length ball which catches Mahmudullah on the crease trying to defend on off, lucky to chop it onto pad
15.5 -
Sami to Shakib, 1 run, another similarly shortish ball outside off, Shakib plays this even later. Way behind his body. Cuts it down to third man
15.4 -
Sami to Shakib, 2 runs, oh poor Mohammad Irfan. For him to bend and field a ball near the bootlaces is such a task. Does well though. Shortish just outside off, Shakib creates his own room and late-cuts it behind backward point to set Irfan on an unwanted sprint
15.3 -
Sami to Mahmudullah, 1 run, the crowd is getting slightly restless here. A stroll is being converted into a crawl it seems. Length ball just outside off, patted from the crease in front of cover for a quick run
15.2 -
Sami to Shakib, 1 run, backs away a long way and drives a length ball from middle to deep cover. He's really struggling
15.1 -
Sami to Shakib, no run, that's sheer hope from Shakib. Almost like he premeditated the cut even as Sami was running in. The line is too close to off and the length isn't short enough. He's late on the stroke and misses
Mohammad Sami [2.0-0-10-0] is back into the attack
14.6 -
Shoaib Malik to Mahmudullah, no run, flatter and kicks off from a length, turned a bit as well to foil Mahmudullah's plans of steering it into the off-side. Hit him on the bat-handle I think before rolling away into the on-side
14.5 -
Shoaib Malik to Mahmudullah, no run, quicker and fuller, drifting across off with the arm, nudged back down the pitch
14.4 -
Shoaib Malik to Shakib, 1 run, tossed up and sliding on towards off, Shakib leans into the push and hits it nicely down to long-off
14.3 -
Shoaib Malik to Mahmudullah, 1 run, flatter on leg, glanced in front of short fine
Mahmudullah, right handed bat, comes to the crease
14.2 -
Shoaib Malik to Rahim, out Lbw!! "Huh?" That's not just my reaction. The whole Shere Bangla concurs with me. How can that be out? How? Fired in from round the wicket, beats Rahim on his reverse sweep and hits the pad. But surely that's pitched outside leg. Lets wait for replays before making such calls. Oh yes, it's pitched outside leg. And even going over the top of the stumps according to HawkEye. Rahim lbw b Shoaib Malik 12(15)
Shoaib Malik to Rahim, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
14.1 -
Shoaib Malik to Shakib, 1 run, darted into the pads from round the wicket, nudged towards square leg
Shoaib Malik, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
Bangladesh need only keep their heads here and a place in the final is theirs..
13.6 -
Amir to Rahim, 2 runs, pounds it in on a short of length from round the wicket, the angle takes it towards Rahim's rib-cage and he avoids some bad bruises with a gentle clip wide of long-on. Easy two before the fielder takes his jolly old time to field
13.5 -
Amir to Shakib, 1 run, skids on from a back of a length only to be stabbed behind backward point down towards third man
13.5 -
Amir to Shakib, wide, tried to surprise the batsman with a bumper but got the line wrong. Falls away down leg and allows Shakib to move inside the line
13.4 -
Amir to Shakib, no run, Shakib moves half-forward and dinks this length ball into the off-side
13.3 -
Amir to Shakib, no run, fullish just outside off, driven softly to cover
Shakib Al Hasan, left handed bat, comes to the crease
A widish slip in place now for the new man..
13.2 -
Amir to Soumya Sarkar, out Bowled!! Kaboom! There's a Mohammad Amir special. Runs in and cannons one into the blockhole to go right through Sarkar's defences. Thoroughly beaten for pace and didn't get the bat down in time. The leg-stump is planted on the turf wearing the face of a boxer with a black eye. Amir swings his arms in delight and Pakistan are still alive here. Soumya Sarkar b Amir 48(48) [4s-5 6s-1]
Amir to Soumya Sarkar, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
13.1 -
Amir to Rahim, 1 run, back of a length delivery outside off, steered wide of backward point where Akmal dives and gets a hand to make a half-stop
Mohammad Amir [2.0-0-13-0] is back into the attack
12.6 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, no run, quicker googly on off, chopped towards where a slip would be
12.5 -
Afridi to Rahim, 1 run, Afridi is convinced that the LBW is on. The umpire has doused that fire quickly enough. And what a top call. Rahim had top-edged the sweep into his torso and towards short third man
12.4 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, leg byes, 1 run, fired in on the pads, Sarkar is late on the flick and the ball deflects behind square
12.3 -
Afridi to Rahim, 1 run, "catch it" is the cry, but Afridi's hands aren't quite long enough to reach out. Drifting in with the arm on middle and leg, Rahim swats it off the inside half of the bat as he was trying to go inside-out and lucky to get it down to long-on
12.2 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, ah, Sarkar is nearly drawn into an ill-advised swish, had to reach out as the length wasn't there and mistimes it along the ground through square leg
12.1 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, no run, slips in a googly on leg-stump, Sarkar is patient enough, reads it and pats it into the off-side
11.6 -
Sami to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, slips in a brisk short of length delivery, gets it to rise around chest high, and hurries Sarkar in his pull. It hits him high on the bat and rolls away wide of mid-wicket
11.5 -
Sami to Rahim, 1 run, slightly streaky but Rahim controlled it well in the end. Initially tried to work it through the on-side, realized the line is outside off, then made sure he didn't close the bat-face completely. Runs away off the outside half in front of mid-off
11.4 -
Sami to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, nicely done. This is more advisable rather than going all hooohaaa. Steered down to third man with the right armer's angle
11.3 -
Sami to Rahim, 1 run, gently back of a length delivery outside off, Rahim plants an open-face and skims it down to third man
Afridi can't stop maneuvering the field at the moment. And wiping the sweat beads off his forehead..
11.2 -
Sami to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, back of a length delivery skidding on just outside off, Sarkar stays leg-side and dabs it down to third man
11.1 -
Sami to Soumya Sarkar, no run, ooooh, Sarkar is just going with the adrenaline rush. Backs away to a length ball looking to hoist it over extra-cover. The angle was always leaving him and he fails to connect. Didn't miss off-stump by a big way
Mohammad Sami [1.0-0-5-0] is back into the attack
10.6 -
Afridi to Rahim, no run, slightly short outside off, quick too, Rahim plays the late-cut well but can't get it past short third man
10.5 -
Afridi to Rahim, 2 runs, oh ridiculous. Khurram Manzoor has added to Pakistan's frustration in a big way. Played with the turn to sweeper cover, Manzoor had no excuse really for firing such a wild throw. The keeper had no chance with it. An extra run leaked
10.4 -
Afridi to Rahim, no run, flatter outside off, pushed with the turn to cover
10.3 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, and sloppiness has found its way into the Pakistani outfit. Driven gently to short cover where Hafeez lets it slip through
10.2 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, FOUR, Sarkar is running away here. And the bowling is helping his cause. Tossed up nicely but its down the leg-side, Sarkar sits on his back knee and wallops the sweep behind square
10.1 -
Afridi to Rahim, 1 run, drifting in with the arm just outside off, Rahim waits on the crease and dabs it softly in front of short third man
9.6 -
Anwar Ali to Soumya Sarkar, FOUR, top shot! Length ball has been murdered across the line. Stays put and clubs it over mid-wicket. Not even an iota of intention to keep it down. Bullets away to the ropes and the half-way mark is reached. Bangladesh very much in..
9.6 -
Anwar Ali to Soumya Sarkar, wide, that's the last thing I was hoping. Low full toss mediocred with a line down leg, Sarkar turns to tickle but misses
The crowd is absolutely buzzing! Pakistan need a wicket. Afridi runs in again
9.5 -
Anwar Ali to Soumya Sarkar, 2 runs, backs away, lets this short of length delivery come onto him and mows it over mid-wicket for a brace
9.4 -
Anwar Ali to Rahim, 1 run, the width on this has been crashed away to square third man. Only a single and the Pakistani fielding is doing well to compensate for the batting mess
9.3 -
Anwar Ali to Rahim, no run, dabbed to the left of backward point who dives and saves some runs
9.2 -
Anwar Ali to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, channels all his frustration into a bumper outside off, Sarkar puts on his jet pack and hops. Upper cuts it over the infield and the sweeper tidies up to keep it to a single
9.1 -
Anwar Ali to Soumya Sarkar, SIX, that ball has been martyred! Skips out of the pitch and flicks it brutally over mid-wicket. A swing off the arms and the ball flies away
8.6 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, shot! Reverses his bat and mocks Afridi with a reverse-sweep. Off the middle but couldn't find a plughole in the field. To deep backward point where Umar Akmal dives and saves a certain boundary. Sarkar slipped while trying to return after being sent back. He was halfway down the pitch. A throw to the bowler's end could have seen a run-out! All happening
8.5 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, 2 runs, looks to drive it with flat feet and the outside edge runs uppishly to deep backward point. A late throw means that a quick brace was on. Easily done
8.4 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, no run, a googly that showed its cards way before than it should have. Dragged down, Sarkar still cannot read it and ends up jamming it into the pitch
8.3 -
Afridi to Rahim, 1 run, stays put and punches the ball to long-off for a single
8.2 -
Afridi to Rahim, no run, turn outside off as Afridi loops this a touch, Rahim is beaten on the forward defence
Mushfiqur Rahim, right handed bat, comes to the crease
8.1 -
Afridi to S Rahman, out Bowled!! And Afridi stands with his legs apart and his arms stretched wide. The quicker googly on the stumps, 101ks. Pitches and skids off at pace. Rahman was amidst his dance out of the crease, is beaten on the inside edge and the ball sneaks through the bat-pad gap to take the middle-leg bail. S Rahman b Afridi 14(15) [4s-1]
Afridi to S Rahman, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
Bangladesh need 84 runs in 72 balls. Very doable with 9 wickets in hand. Stay tuned because T20s aren't short of twists and turns..
7.6 -
Anwar Ali to S Rahman, 1 run, throws all his power into this hoick whilst fetching the ball from outside off. Dragged into the pitch and a single is effected as the ball rolls away to square leg
7.5 -
Anwar Ali to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, the fuller length saga trudges on. Sarkar this times forces the drive through cover and jogs to the other end
7.4 -
Anwar Ali to Soumya Sarkar, no run, full and on the pads, tamely tucked to mid-wicket
7.3 -
Anwar Ali to Soumya Sarkar, no run, stays tall and punches this to one of the off-ring guarders
7.2 -
Anwar Ali to S Rahman, 3 runs, that was out of reach of mid-off's sprint but what an effort! Watch it when you're short of motivation. Rahman had toe-ended the loft, an urgent Sami runs back and across, extends his arms but the ball was always going away. Couldn't get up as he slips, hurls a throw back to invite a third umpire referral but Soumya Sarkar was back at the striker's end
Continues over the wicket
7.1 -
Anwar Ali to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, pitches this on a fuller length on middle, helped to long-on employing some wristwork
Anwar Ali, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
6.6 -
Afridi to S Rahman, no run, googly that cramps the batsman. Line's within the stumps and Rahman can only block it back
6.5 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, a bit of loop, Sarkar gets low on his knees and sweeps. Off the middle but deep mid-wicket intercepts and keeps it to a single
6.4 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, no run, goes back and punches this googly back to Afridi
6.3 -
Afridi to Soumya Sarkar, FOUR, horrow down leg, Sarkar squats and sweeps it through fine leg
6.2 -
Afridi to S Rahman, leg byes, 1 run, ambitious, like my Sunday morning alarm. The googly that misses Rahman's defence and hits him on the pad. Well outside off and the umpire shakes his head while smiling
6.1 -
Afridi to S Rahman, no run, quicker delivery outside off, Rahman is cramped for the cut and chops it square of the wicket
Shahid Afridi, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
Boom Boom with the ball. Looks tense. No slip
5.6 -
Irfan to S Rahman, 1 run, length ball wide, Rahman protracts his arms to glide it down to third man. That's the powerplay done. A frugal 34 runs but they are right on track. Not running but this target allows you to jog and still win the marathon
5.5 -
Irfan to S Rahman, no run, a venomous short ball and Rahman was looking to pull it. Hook it rather. Sees it rising, holds his bat high and duck-sways to safer shores
5.4 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, this ball ducks in and Sarkar was already in his bat-swing routine. Ekes out an inside edge as he looked to go big over leg-side and the ball takes the back thigh. Could have gone anywhere. Try thinking "stumps"
5.3 -
Irfan to S Rahman, 1 run, back of a length delivery and Rahman was waiting on the back foot. Mistimes the clobber to deep mid wicket but a cheap single is still available. Oh T20s!
5.2 -
Irfan to S Rahman, no run, loud appeal from Irfan but a muted Sarfraz could have been more convincing. Back of a length delivery that nearly shaves the bat face as Rahman looked to run it down to third man. No sound and it just missed. Good decision
5.1 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, how often do you see someone pulling Irfan? The line down leg helped, Sarkar rocked back in a jiffy, hauled his front leg in air and helped it with a pull to backward square leg
You'd reckon that this is a sedate T20 start but a lookback at Pakistan's start will let you know about the pitch and the batting on show today
4.6 -
Sami to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, length ball zooting off the pitch, Sarkar was looking to run it down to third man. Gets an intended single but it's off the splice
4.5 -
Sami to Soumya Sarkar, no run, gets behind this length ball that looked off-pace again, waits a bit more and then defends it
4.4 -
Sami to Soumya Sarkar, no run, and the Dhaka pitch gets back to normalcy. Off-cutter that embraces the pitch, Sarkar's punch goes airy and just in front of an on-rushing short cover. Close, close shave that
4.3 -
Sami to Soumya Sarkar, no run, gets the width to straighten elbows, flashes the cut but chops it square.
4.2 -
Sami to S Rahman, leg byes, 1 run, another straight ball skidded off the pitch with a nip in. Rahman was on his toes to tuck, missed and was rapped on the pads. Appeal denied and that was clipping leg-stump, says the HawkEye
4.1 -
Sami to S Rahman, FOUR, and the claps are back. Length ball on leg-stump alright but that was crunched. Everything is from Rahman these days. Stands tall, turns around and clips it to fine leg
Mohammad Sami, right-arm fast, comes into the attack
3.6 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, no run, that was a close shave. Had his bat face open to greet the ball, Irfan hurled it in with the angle and Sarkar's steer periliously evaded the stumps. In front of slip who tidies up and denies any run
3.5 -
Irfan to S Rahman, 1 run, Bangladesh are doing what Pakistan couldn't. Quick singles. Clips this middle-stump delivery to mid-on and runs through urgently
3.4 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, opens the face of the bat and steers this to third man for a single
3.3 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, no run, this time gets outside the line of this shortish delivery and helps it with a pull to short fine. Almost carried. Still off the top of the bat and hence no single on offer
3.2 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, no run, shortish ball cramping the batsman for room, Sarkar was halfway in his turn and short-arm pulled it to mid-on rather awkwardly. The fielder rifles the throw at the bowler's end but Sarkar was in
3.1 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, no run, length and skipping off the pitch. At a height more than Sarkar anticipated and the ball zooms over his attempted cut
2.6 -
Amir to S Rahman, no run, lovely wood-leather sound as Rahman blocked this wide length ball to point
2.5 -
Amir to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, gets this length ball to bound off the pitch, Sarkar adjusts and splices the punch square of the wicket. Third man runs across and cuts it off
That pull shot has said goodbye to one of the slips
2.4 -
Amir to Soumya Sarkar, no run, fullish ball that pushes Sarkar back, Sarkar bends low and defends it under his eyes
2.3 -
Amir to Soumya Sarkar, FOUR, that's dismissed. No ducking under the bouncer. Short ball and sitting up to be fair but Sarkar stood tall and picks it up with a pull. Clouts it over mid-wicket and the ball just runs away
2.2 -
Amir to Soumya Sarkar, no run, shuffles across leg and then open-bats the punch to backward point. Not even half a run there
2.1 -
Amir to Soumya Sarkar, no run, cut into two. Stayed glued to the crease and looked to nonchalantly flay the drive, as if it's easy against Amir. The ball cuts in and gets inside the bat swing
1.6 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, back of a length delivery rising up, on leg-stump and Sarkar turns around to fend it off one hand. Keeps it down and steals a single to fine leg
1.5 -
Irfan to S Rahman, 3 runs, and he times it straightaway. Bends low and then tucks it through mid-wicket. A sliding stop and some tag-team work to stop the boundary in the deep
Sabbir Rahman, right handed bat, comes to the crease
1.4 -
Irfan to Tamim, out Lbw!! And the crowd is on sleeping pills again. Fullish delivery that nips in, Tamim was caught in the crease looking to tuck it round the corner, gets hit on the pad. A formal appeal and that was potentially going onto to peg the stumps back. That was hitting the middle, says HawkEye. Tamim lbw b Irfan 7(4) [6s-1]
Irfan to Tamim, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
1.3 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, what these boundaries have done is that these shots not only have timing but thousands of cheering throats behind them too. This veering in delivery is ticked to fine leg for a single
1.2 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, FOUR, short and wide and crying to be hit. Sarkar stands tall and cuts it way to the left of backward point. Vrooms away
1.1 -
Irfan to Soumya Sarkar, no run, full ball, Sarkar gets an inside-edge as the ball curls in. Onto the pad to invite half an appeal
Mohammad Irfan, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Amir to Tamim, SIX, that's a pick-up shot you play to render the bowler quiet. Full and Tamim flicks it uppishly. Times it like a Japanese bullet train and gets it to sail over the backward square leg fence
0.5 -
Amir to Tamim, no run, an appeal so loud that it could send you to the same doctor as Van Gogh. Length ball zooming in, Tamim was looking to tuck it into the leg-side after stepping out, the ball straightens a touch while ripping off the pitch. Loud appeal but that was bat hitting the pad
0.4 -
Amir to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run, opens the face of the bat this time. A half-deliberate single as he manages to get it off the outer half
0.3 -
Amir to Soumya Sarkar, no run, there's the customary Amir peach. Angles it in and gets it to swing away late. Sarkar is opened up a touch as he sees the ball zoot across the outside edge. Beaten and a half
0.2 -
Amir to Soumya Sarkar, no run, length ball swerving out late, Sarkar lifts his bat and lets it go
0.1 -
Amir to Tamim, 1 run, full and curling in from over the wicket, the batsman gets forward and clips it to mid-wicket for a single to get off the mark
Tamim and Soumya Sarkar are at the crease. Tamim is on strike. Amir will open the attack