Pakistan in Asia cup finals – Afridi’s magic smashed Bangladeshi team

DHAKA: Shahid Afridi lived up to the ‘Boom Boom’ title for the second consecutive match as he blasted 59 runs from 25 balls in Pakistan’s win over Bangladesh.

Not to be overshadowed by Afridi, Fawad Alam scored 74 runs to guide Pakistan to victory in the final overs of the match.

Pakistan overcame a daunting 327 run target and confirmed their place in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka. Opener Ahmed Shahzad played a brilliant knock and scored a century ensuring that the required run rate remained in hand.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim won the toss and elected to bat in a must-win match. Opener Amanul Haque scored a century and was supported by Imrul Kayes with 59 runs. Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim also chipped in with half-centuries.

Fawad Alam: “This is a big match for me as it is my comeback match. I am playing for Pakistan again after 3 and a half years, yeah, it’s a big moment for me. We discussed in the innings break that if we keep wickets in hand, then we can easily score 10 runs per over. My nature is to play the singles initially and go for the boundaries later on.”

Highlights will be posted in a while …