Haris Rauf becomes joint-third fastest to 50 ODI wickets for Pakistan
Pakistan beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in the Asia Cup Super 4’s match at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday as the men in green shirts chased the target of 194 in 39.3 overs after a loss of only three wickets.
Imam ul Haq and Mohammad Rizwan scored fifties as Pakistan easily chased the 194 target in the 40th over.
Pakistan were set a target of 194 after the Bangladesh batting line-up was sent back to the pavilion in the 39th over as Haris Rauf claimed four wickets while Naseem Shah got three scalps.
Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah produced an exceptional show as Pakistan folded Bangladesh for 193 in 38.4 overs. Haris emerged as the standout bowler from the Pakistan camp, scalping four wickets in the six overs he bowled. Naseem was not far behind as he picked three wickets in the 5.4 overs he bowled. Barring Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim no other Bangladesh batters could resist the fiery pace of Pakistan.
Winning the toss and opting to bat, Bangladesh were jolted early by Naseem, who removed Mehidy Hasan Miraj in his first ball. Two overs later Shaheen Shah Afridi joined the party and packed Litton Das for 16(13).
Haris too picked a wicket in his first over as he removed Mohammad Naim for 20(25) then cleaned up Towhid Hridoy for 2(9) in the next. Shakib and Mushfiqur then helped Bangladesh rebuild after they were reduced to 47/4 inside the first powerplay.
The pair added 100 runs for the fifth wicket and both slammed their respective half-centuries. Shakib was dismissed for 53(57) by Faheem Ashraf, while Mushfiqur was caught-behind against Haris for 64(87).
Earlier,
Fast bowler Haris Rauf became the joint-third fastest Pakistani bowler to pick 50 ODI wickets today during the ongoing match against Bangladesh in the Super Four Stage of Asia Cup 2023.
Haris Rauf achieved this feat in his 27th ODI match, equaling legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis’s record. He got his 50th wicket when Bangladesh’s opening batter attempted a pull shot but the ball ballooned up with a top edge and landed in the hands of the bowler.
Haris Rauf also holds the record for the highest strike rate in ODI by a Pakistani bowler.
Meanwhile, the record for the fastest to take 50 ODI wickets for Pakistan belongs to Hasan Ali, who reached the milestone in 24 matches, followed by Shaheen Afridi who achieved it in 25 matches.
Haris Rauf helped Pakistan book Bangladesh for a meagre 193 inside 40 overs. He ended the innings with impressive bowling figures of 4-19 in six overs, including the wicket of Bangladesh’s top scorer Mushfiqur Rahim.
Bangladesh had a dismal start to their innings in the first Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s fixture as they were reduced to 47/4 inside the first powerplay as the Pakistan pace trio ran through their top order.
Following the slump, captain Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim launched an astonishing recovery as they put together a brilliant 100-run partnership with the former bringing up his half-century.
The pair appeared to have settled down and was looking to take the game away from Pakistan before Faheem Ashraf struck in the 30th over.
Following Shakib’s dismissal, Mushfiqur Rahim was joined at the crease by Shamim Hossain and the pair could add 27 runs for the sixth wicket before Pakistan’s trump card Iftikhar Ahmed got rid of the latter.
Haris Rauf then further dented Bangladesh’s march with twin strikes in the 38th over which included the prized scalp of wicketkeeper batter Mushfiqur.
Mushfiqur Rahim top-scored for Bangladesh with 64 in 87 balls, laced up with five boundaries.
Haris’s twin strikes forced Bangladesh to slip to 190/8 before Naseem Shah emulated the feat in the next over by removing Afif Hossain and Shoriful Islam to wrap up the visitors’ innings.
