Dubai: Opener Mohammad Rizwan’s half-century and his half-century partnership with Mohammad Nawaz helped Pakistan beat India by five wickets in a thrilling Super Four stage encounter of the Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament here on Sunday. Chasing India’s 182-run target, Pakistan finished third between Rizwan (71 off 51 balls, six fours, and two sixes) and career-best Nawaz (42 off 20 balls, six fours, two sixes). Wicket partnership of 73 runs with one ball remaining, scored 182 runs for five wickets. Asif Ali (16) and Khushdil Shah (14 not out) ensured the team’s victory after Rizwan and Nawaz were dismissed.
Ravi Bishnoi (1 wicket for 26 runs) and Arshdeep Singh (1 wicket for 27 runs) bowled well for India but could not win the team. India scored 181 for seven in Kohli’s 44-ball 60 with four fours and a six. The opening pair of captain Rohit Sharma (28) and Lokesh Rahul (28) gave India a quick start and added 54 runs in 5.1 overs. Leg-spinner Shadab Khan was the most successful bowler for Pakistan, taking two wickets for 31 runs. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz took one wicket for 25 runs while bowling economically. Chasing the target, both Rizwan and Babar Azam (14) opened the account with four boundaries in Bhuvneshwar’s first over.
Babar hit another boundary in the next over of Bhuvneshwar but was caught by Rohit Sharma off the ball of leg-spinner Bishnoi. In the next over of Hardik Pandya, Rizwan hit two while Fakhar Zaman (15) hit a four. Rizwan hit Arshdeep Singh for the first six of the innings. Pakistan scored 44 runs for one wicket in the power play. Fakhar hits Yuzvendra Chahal for a boundary but tries to play a big shot on the next ball, giving Kohli a simple catch at long-on. Nawaz opened the account with a four on Chahal and then hit sixes on Pandya and Bishnoi.
Rizwan scored a half-century in 37 balls with two runs off Arshdeep and completed the team’s hundred in the 13th over. Nawaz added to the run rate with two fours each on Pandya and Chahal. Pakistan needed 47 runs to win in the last five overs. Rohit made a comeback to Bhuvneshwar’s bowling and, not disappointing the captain, he got Nawaz caught by Hooda at long off. In Pandya’s next over, Rizwan also waved the ball in the air and caught Suryakumar at long off. Arshdeep dropped the catch of Asif Ali at short third man off Bishnoi.
Taking advantage of the gift of life, Asif hit a six and a four on Bhuvneshwar in the 19th over while Khushdil also hit a four. 19 runs were scored in this over. Pakistan had to score just seven runs in the last over. Asif hits a four on Arshdeep but then goes for a leg before. Iftikhar Ahmed (02 not out) gave Pakistan to victory with two runs off the fifth ball. After losing the toss, India got off to a fast start by Rohit and Rahul.
Rohit hit a four and a six off Naseem Shah (1 for 45) in the very first over, while Rahul also hit two sixes in the next over of the fast bowler. Rohit welcomed Haris Rauf (1 for 38) with fours and sixes in successive deliveries but in the next over the pacer waved the ball in the air and caught Khushdil Shah. He hit three fours and two sixes in his 16-ball knock.
India scored 62 runs for one wicket in the power play. In the next over, on the very first ball of Shadab, Rahul caught Nawaz at long-on. He faced 20 balls and hit two sixes and a four. As soon as Suryakumar Yadav came, Shadab opened the account with a four and then made Nawaz’s ball also visible to the boundary. Kohli was lucky on Shadab’s delivery when the ball took the outer edge of his bat but the ball went for four by Naseem standing at short third man. Suryakumar, after scoring 13 runs in 10 balls, was caught by Nawaz on the square leg boundary to Asif Ali.
India’s century of runs was completed in the 11th over. Kohli and Rishabh Pant (14) hit fours in Naseem’s over. Pant also hit Shadab for a four but in an attempt to sweep this leg-spinner’s next delivery, Asif was caught at a backward point. Hardik Pandya, who was the hero of India’s victory in the group stage match, returned to the pavilion without opening the account in the next over off the ball of Mohammad Hasnain (1 for 38), which took India’s score to 131 for five. Deepak Hooda (16) hits Rauf and Hasnain for fours.
Kohli completed the 32nd half-century of his career in 36 balls with a six on Hasnain. Hooda, however, caught Nawaz in Naseem’s next over by waving the ball in the air. Kohli was run out after scoring a run in the first four balls of Rauf’s last over. Ravi Bishnoi (08 not out) took the team’s score beyond 180 runs with a four off the last two balls.
