Pakistani bowlers failed to defend a descent total against India as Indian batters steered their country to another convincing win against arch South Asian rival in a critical super four match on Sunday
Pakistan scored 171 runs for five wickets in their 20 overs in a crucial Asia Cup super-four match against India, setting the stage of an intense contest at Dubai International Stadium.
Indian batsman Abishek Sharma led the charge with a 74-run knock off just 39 balls while Shuman Gill scored 47.
While India continued their consistent form with both the ball and the bat, Pakistani bowlers could not capitalize on the competitive total with fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi conceding 40 runs in four overs, and spinners also struggled.
Only fast bowler Haris Rauf bowled well taking two wickets for just 26 runs.
Earlier, Pakistan made 171 runs for five in their 20 overs, thanks to a wonderful knock of 58 runs by opener Sahibzada Farhan, who hit several sixes off Indian top bowlers.
Pakistan batted first in the encounter between the two rivals at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Sahibzada Farhan, who opened the batting with Fakhar Zaman, got out after scorig 58 foundational runs.
Towards the end of the innings Faheem Ashraf and captain Salman Ali Aghan retrieved Pakistan from a min mid-innings collapse.
Fakhar Zaman was the first batter to lose his wicket after scoring 15 runs off nine tEa.
Left-handed batter Saim Ayub made 21 runs off 17 balls
.
Indian bowlers failed to repeat of their last encounter’s calculated performance.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bhumra conceded 45 runs in his 4 overs.
This is the second encounter between the arch cricket rivals with tension running high ahead of the match in the wake of handshake controversy.
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Asim Tanveer is a seasoned journalist working for TV and electronic and print media outlets. He has been working for some of the world’s leading news organizations including Associated Press (AP), Reuters, BBC, CNN, CNBC, Star TV, Voice of America and The New York Times for more than 30 years. He has won several awards for his live coverage of events that include a Reuters News Agency World Award and the Pride of Performance award in 1997.
Pakistan has displayed a remarkable batting scoring 171 runs. Let’s hope bowlers also perform well, forcing the Indian team out under 170, thereby winning a place in the semifinals. Sadly, the Indian team has already announced that they will not show the sportsman’s spirit by not engaging in handshaking after the match.