India’s middle-order puts up a tough fight after a difficult start, only to lose momentum in the final 10 overs.
Pakistan managed to bowl out India for 266 runs in the 49th over of their Asia Cup 2023 match at the Pallakelle Stadium in Sri Lanka. Now, Pakistan will have to chase a target of 267 runs to win the match.
India has set a target of 267 runs for Pakistan. While India initially struggled against Pakistan’s formidable pace attack led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah, they later managed to put up a fight. It now rests on the shoulders of Pakistan captain Babar Azam and his batsmen to chase down the target.
Former cricketer Wahab Riaz has praised the pace trio for their performance.
Pakistan’s pace attack, especially Shaheen Shah Afridi, has impressed former premier Shehbaz Sharif and continues to do so during the match.
In the 49th over, Naseem took two wickets, ending his spell with a total of three wickets. His excellent bowling led to India being bowled out early in the 49th over with a score of 266 runs. Pakistan will now have to chase 267 runs in 50 overs.
In the 48th over, Shaheen Shah Afridi took four wickets in his quota of 10 overs, conceding only 35 runs. India’s score at this point stood at 261 for the loss of 8 wickets.
In the 47th over, Jasprit Bumrah scored a four, spoiling what was a perfect over until that point from Haris Rauf. Haris gave away 5 runs in his ninth over, bringing India’s score to 257 for 8.
In the 46th over, Shaheen Shah Afridi conceded 6 runs, allowing India to surpass the 250-run mark. India’s score stood at 252 for the loss of 8 wickets.
In the 45th over, Naseem Shah got Shardul Thakur out on the first ball, leading to the eighth Indian batsman walking back to the pavilion. The over yielded five runs, taking India’s score to 246 for the loss of 8 wickets.
In the 44th over, Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Hardik Pandya, who had scored a crucial 87 runs off 89 balls. He also got Ravindra Jadeja out for 14 runs in the same over. With these wickets, India’s score reached 242 for 7.
In the 43rd over, Naseem Shah bowled a tight over, giving away only 2 runs. India’s score now stood at 239 for 5.
In the 42nd over, Shadab Khan bowled his ninth over, despite not having made much impact with spin so far. The leg spinner conceded 11 runs in the over, bringing India’s score to 237 for the loss of 5 wickets.
In the 41st over, Naseem Shah conceded 5 runs in his sixth over, enabling the Indian innings to progress to 226 for the loss of 5 wickets.
In the 40th over, Hardik Pandya hit consecutive boundaries off Haris Rauf, boosting India’s run rate. The over leaked 12 runs in total, and India’s score reached 221 for 5.
In the 39th over, there was some sloppy fielding, costing Pakistan 5 runs. India’s score now stood at 209 after 39 overs with the loss of 5 wickets.
In the 38th over, Haris Rauf removed Ishan Kishan with a short-length delivery, and Jadeja replaced him. Haris gave away only 1 run in the over. India’s score was now 204 for 5.
In the 37th over, Ishan Kishan hit a boundary off the first ball, and Hardik Pandya hit a six off the fifth delivery. The over yielded 16 runs in total for India.
In the 36th over, Haris Rauf returned to the attack, but failed to take a breakthrough. India’s score now stood at 187 for 4.
In the 35th over, India managed to score 5 runs off Mohammad Nawaz’s seventh over, taking their total to 183 for 4 wickets.
In the 34th over, Ishan Kishan hit a boundary, thanks to some poor fielding from Pakistan. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya completed his half-century in 62 balls. India’s score stood at 178 for 4 wickets.
In the 33rd over, Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan completed their 100-run partnership. India scored 8 runs off Mohammad Nawaz’s sixth over and reached a total of 168 for 4 wickets.
In the 32nd over, Salman Agha bowled a tight over, giving away only 4 runs. India’s score now stood at 160 for 4 wickets.
In the 31st over, there was a mix-up between Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan, creating an opportunity for a run-out. However, Naseem Shah missed the chance. The over ended with seven runs, and India’s score was 156 for 4 wickets.
In the 30th over, Salman Agha bowled a good over, only conceding 2 runs. India’s score was now 149 for 4 wickets.
In the 29th over, Ishan Kishan completed a hard-fought half-century in Shadab Khan’s sixth over. The over yielded four runs. India’s score stood at 147 for 4 wickets.
In the 28th over, Salman Agha bowled his first over. The part-time spinner overstepped his line, giving away a free hit. The over ended with five runs, and India’s score was 140 for 4 wickets.
In the 27th over, Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled a tight over, giving away only 1 run. India’s score stood at 135 for 4 wickets.
In the 26th over, Mohammad Nawaz bowled his fifth over. Ishan Kishan managed to hit a confident stroke for a boundary. India’s score was creeping back up, reaching 134 for 4 wickets.
In the 25th over, Shaheen Shah Afridi was brought back into the attack, replacing Shadab Khan. Hardik Pandya hit a boundary on the fourth ball of the over. India’s score stood at 127 for 4 wickets.
In the 24th over, Pakistan captain Babar Azam kept Mohammad Nawaz on the attack. The over yielded 7 runs, and India’s score was now 121 for 4 wickets.
In the 23rd over, India’s partnership between Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan reached a century milestone. The over ended with eight runs, and India’s score stood at 117 for 4 wickets.
In the 22nd over, Salman Agha was brought in by Pakistan captain Babar Azam to bowl. The part-time spinner overstepped his line in his first delivery, resulting in a free hit. India managed to score five runs in the over, bringing their total to 140 for 4 wickets.
In the 21st over, Shadab Khan conceded six runs as Ishan Kishan hit a boundary on the fourth ball. India’s score now stood at 108 for 4 wickets.
In the 20th over, India scored eight runs off Mohammad Nawaz’s third over, including a six by Hardik Pandya. India’s score reached 102 for 4 wickets.
In the 19th over, India scored two runs off Mohammad Nawaz’s second over, bringing their total to 94 for 4 wickets.
In the 18th over, Mohammad Nawaz bowled a tight over, giving away only three runs. India’s score stood at 92 for 4 wickets.
In the 17th over, India scored six runs off Haris Rauf’s over, bringing their total to 89 runs. The run-rate remained high as the Indian team continued to score.
In the 16th over, Shadab Khan was brought in to bowl his second over. However, he was hit for 11 runs, and India’s score reached 84 for the loss of 4 wickets.
In the 15th over, Haris Rauf took a crucial wicket by bowling out Shreyas Iyer. He also gave away six runs in the over. India’s score now stood at 72 for 4 wickets.
In the 14th over, leg-spinner Shadab Khan bowled a tight over, giving away only three runs. India’s score was at 66 for 3 wickets.
In the 13th over, Naseem Shah bowled another tight over, giving away only 2 runs. However, India managed to score a boundary on the fifth ball. India’s score stood at 63 for 3 wickets.
In the 12th over, Haris Rauf bowled a quick over, but Ishan Kishan managed to hit a boundary on the fourth ball. India’s score reached 58 for 3 wickets.
In the 11th over, Naseem Shah’s bowling was erratic, resulting in five wides. However, he managed to contain the runs and ended the over with just one run. India’s score stood at 51 for 3 wickets.
In the 10th over, Haris Rauf took a wicket by dismissing Rohit Sharma, who was struggling against the left-arm pacer. India’s score remained at 48 for 3 wickets.
Earlier, heavy showers interrupted the match at the beginning of the fifth over. The covers were brought on, but the rain eventually stopped and the match resumed.
In the fourth over, Naseem Shah bowled a tight over, but Rohit Sharma managed to hit a boundary on the second ball. India’s score stood at 42 for no loss.
In the third over, Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Virat Kohli after he scored just 4 runs off 7 balls.
In the second over, Naseem Shah bowled with a lot of movement and variation. However, India managed to score 4 runs off the over.
In the first over, Rohit Sharma hit a boundary off the second ball. India’s score reached 6 runs off the first over.
During the toss, India captain Rohit Sharma chose to bat first. He expressed confidence in facing the challenge of the match, while Pakistan captain Babar Azam hoped to take early wickets.
The teams for the match were as follows:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.