BD whip Pakistan to reach ACC Cup semis

KARACHI: Bangladesh whipped Pakistan by 84 runs in their last Group B outing to make it to the semi-finals of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2018 here at the National Stadium on Sunday.

Pakistan, with two big wins in their previous two games, had already made it to the pre-finals, which will be held in Colombo on December 13.In the Group A slots, being held in Colombo, holders Sri Lanka and India qualified for the semi-finals.

They will face each other in their last group match on Monday (today), which will decide the group leaders and the runners-up. Test cricketer Mosaddek Hossain was the hero for Bangladesh as the 22-year-old performed well with both bat and ball.

Mosaddek plundered 85 not out to enable Bangladesh to pile up 309-5 in the allotted 50 overs after they opted to bat first.He took 2-22 with his off-spin bowling to help Bangladesh dismiss Pakistan for 225.

Mosaddek, who turns 23 on Monday (today), shared 126 runs for the fifth wicket with Yasir Ali (56).Mosaddek, who has played two Tests and 24 One-day Internationals, struck four sixes and three fours in his 74-ball unbeaten knock.

Yasir hit five fours and two sixes in his breezy 46-ball fifty.Zakir Hasan (69) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (49) put up a solid foundation when they added 98 for the second wicket. Zakir smashed eight fours in his run-a-ball knock. Najmul clobbered four fours from 54 deliveries.

Khushdil Shah was the pick of the bowlers with 3-48. Muhammad Musa claimed 2-55.Pakistan were all out for 225 in 46.5 overs. Khushdil also delivered with the bat, scoring 61 off 58 balls. Khushdil, who came to bat at No7, smashed four sixes and two fours in his excellent knock.

Zeeshan Malik (47) and skipper Mohammad Rizwan (46) added 88 for the third wicket. Zeeshan hammered one six and four fours from 67 balls. Rizwan, who has been included in Pakistan Test squad for the South Africa tour, struck three fours and one six in his 51-ball effort.

Nayeem Hasan was the pick of the bowlers with 3-36. Shafiul Islam (2-25) and Mosaddek (2-22) backed Hasan. Mosaddek was declared the man-of-the-match. Bangladesh skipper Nurul Hasan said it was a tough game for them.

“It was a challenging game for us as only by winning this could we have qualified. All boys did their best,” the 25-year-old Test wicket-keeper told reporters. Rizwan said that over-confidence hurt them. “Sometimes over-confidence hurt a team,” Rizwan said. “No doubt Bangladesh today played really well and deserved to win. As we had qualified for the semi-finals we tested some players in order to know who is good for the Sri Lankan conditions. The way we have played cricket so far, we deserve to play the final. The morale of the boys is very high,” Rizwan said.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) were unlucky when their outing against Hong Kong here at the Southend Club Ground was abandoned due to rain, ending their chances of a spot in the semi-finals.

Both sides gained one point each. The rain lasted for 25 minutes.“Because of the uneven surface, rain water reached the pitch despite covers,” a source said.“Three horizontal layers had been created on the surface because of acute dampness. The ground staff worked hard for drying up the track and its surrounding areas but their efforts failed,” the source said.

Babar Hayat had hit unbeaten 45 from 86 deliveries, smashing five fours to enable Hong Kong to reach 87-4 in 31 overs when rain stopped the play.Mohammad Naveed, Qadeer Ahmed, Ahmed Raza and Amir Hayat got one wicket each.