Ahmed Shehzad started it, Mohammad Hafeez carried it forward and Shahid Afridi finished it in style as Pakistan rode on an exceptional batting performance to outplay Bangladesh, their recent bogey team, to begin their ICC World Twenty20 campaign on a winning note. In the face of daunting target of 202, Bangladesh batsmen emerged second-best as Afridi & Co. completed a
comprehensive 55-run win at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday (March 16).
In the lead-up to the fixture, Bangladesh were being handed the edge, having beaten Pakistan in their last five meetings across formats - the latest one coming ten days ago in the Asia Cup T20. If an unconvincing show in Bangladesh wasn't enough to hamper their preparation for the World T20, their late arrival amidst chaos and political merry-go-round left them with just one practice game and under immense pressure. Yet, with the flip of the coin at the toss, Pakistan turned all the anticipation on its head.
Pakistan's recent woes have originated in their brittle top-order but Sharjeel Khan and Ahmed Shehzad's breezy beginnings went a long way in shedding the early tentativeness. Bangladesh were also caught unaware by the Eden Gardens track that did not have the sort of spice that could help the pacers create instant impact. Al-Amin Hossain went for 18 runs in the second over and Mortaza turned to spin in just the third over of the match.
Arafat Sunny gave his skipper a reason to smile, striking in the first over to send Sharjeel packing but there wasn't enough turn for him to carve open the Pakistan line-up. After having missed the Asia Cup T20, Shehzad vindicated his board's late call to draft him into the World T20 squad as he made a confident and princely return to the side, constantly dancing down the track and denying the bowlers in their quest for rhythm.
Only two days ago, Mohammad Hafeez got a good look at the Eden wicket with an undefeated 49-ball 70 in Pakistan's lone warm-up match, against Sri Lanka. Batting at No. 3, he merely carried the good form in and helped lay the foundation for Pakistan with a 68-ball 95-run stand for the second wicket.
Unlike in Dhaka, Mortaza's bowlers could seldom dictate terms on a typically slow Eden wicket. Mortaza himself had a bad day in the office, constantly straying in line and length and allowing Shehzad and Hafeez to chance their arms at will. On the eve of the fixture, Mortaza had played up the importance of Shakib Al Hasan and believed his Indian Premier League experience and his familiarity with the conditions would provide them an advantage. As it turned out, Shakib endured one of his most listless spells (0-39), as Hafeez put on an excellent batting display to masterfully keep the left-arm spinner at bay.
The look of relief on Shehzad's face after reaching his half-century, his fifth in format, had a story to tell. Playing in his first T20I international since January, Shehzad provided the exact sort of top-order impetus that Pakistan has craved for recently. When he eventually fell due to failed attempt at a helicopter shot, Afridi walked out at no. 4.
A sensationally acrobatic effort at the boundary line from Soumya Sarkar sent Hafeez back to the hut for a 42-ball 64 but he'd done well enough to leave the platform open for Afridi to blaze away.
The Pakistan skipper had recently copped criticism back home and grappled with fever on the eve of the fixture but it all took a back seat when he took guard in the 14th over, with Pakistan needing a flourishing end to truly put the contest beyond their opposition's reach.
An essay that began with a pull and a sweep shot off his opposite number was well-decorated with audacious hits all around and ended as a 19-ball 49, 40 of which came in fours and sixes. The skipper's frenetic innings ensured Pakistan finished on 201 for 5, their second-highest innings total in T20Is.
If Pakistan's batting caught Bangladesh off-guard, Mohammad Amir's third delivery left them truly groggy. A peach-of-a-delivery from the ever-improving left-armer was too quick for Sarkar, who couldn't bring his bat down on time to deny the ball from sending his off-stump flying. Tamim Iqbal, who became the first Bangladesh batsman to score a T20I hundred in their qualifying match against Oman, was up with the task of repeating his heroic if Bangladesh were to pull off a sixth-straight victory over Pakistan. He and Sabbir Rahman tried to pull Bangladesh out of their early misery with some counter-attacking batting. In came Afridi.
Both Sabbir and Tamim were stroking the ball with great precision until Afridi pulled a rabbit out of his hat. While his conventional leg-spin deliveries were met with disdain, he got the better of both the men with quicker deliveries that held its line. In the space of 13 deliveries, Afridi deflated Bangladesh's quest in chase.
On a day when Shakib failed to create an impact, Imad Wasim, Pakistan's left-arm spinner, came to the fore. With the asking rate constantly mounting, Mahmadullah took the aerial route and perished for just four. Bangladesh's attempts of stitching together partnerships never blossomed as more batsmen perished while going for the big shots. Shakib undid his poor bowling efforts with an unbeaten fifty but his side fell well short of the target.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 201-5 in 20 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 64, Ahmed Shehzad 52, Shahid Afridi 49; Taskin Ahmed 2-32, Arafat Sunny 2-34) beatBangladesh 146-6 (Shakib Al Hasan 50 not out; Mohammad Amir 2-27, Shahid Afridi 2-27) by 55 runs.
