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Cricket PlayersPakistan crush the Dutch, Bangladesh in last-ball win over Zimbabwe
It was Pakistan’s first win after two losses in Group 2 while Bangladesh edged above their African opponents in the Group 1 points table
For the second successive game, Zimbabwe were involved in a dramatic final over that saw many pendulum swings. Unlike the humdinger against Pakistan though, where they were on the right side of the result, they suffered a three-run defeat to Bangladesh at the Gabba in Brisbane on Sunday.
With Zimbabwe needing five off the last ball, Bangladesh thought they had secured victory when Blessing Muzarabani swung and missed the final delivery of the innings by off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain and was stumped by wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan. The Bangladesh players began celebrating while there was dejection in the Zimbabwe dugout. As the players began leaving the field though, the final delivery was flashed as a no-ball on the giant screen by the third umpire as the Bangladesh wicketkeeper had collected the ball in front of the stumps.
The final ball had to be delivered all over again with Zimbabwe now needing four runs off a free hit. Much to Bangladesh's relief, Mosaddek delivered a dot ball as Muzarabani swung and missed a full ball. It was one of the most bizarre endings to a T20 game, but Bangladesh were delighted after huffing and puffing to the finish line. They now have four points from three games while Zimbabwe have three points from as many games. Having pulled off an upset victory over Pakistan in their previous encounter, Zimbabwe will rue squandering an excellent opportunity to push for a semi-final berth.
Opening batter Najmul Hossain Shanto played a vital role in Bangladesh's victory, scoring 71 off 55 balls to help his side reach 150/7. Sean Williams led Zimbabwe's response with a knock of 64 as they finished on 147/8. The left-handed Shanto reached his half-century off 45 deliveries before accelerating in the final phase of the innings. He took a liking to seamer Brad Evans, hitting him for a six and two fours in a 17-run 16th over.
Pakistan beat Netherlands
In the second match of the day, Pakistan registered a much-needed six-wicket victory over Netherlands at the Optus Stadium in Perth. It helped them open their account after enduring heartbreaking last-ball defeats to India and Zimbabwe in their first two games. Anything other than a victory on Sunday would have quashed their hopes of advancing to the semi-finals.
On a pitch assisting the pacers, the Dutch batters couldn't cope with the unrelenting hostility of the Pakistani attack. Mohammad Wasim claimed two scalps while Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf took a wicket each. Leg-spinner Shadab Khan benefitted from the excellence of the pacers, finishing with 3/22 in his four overs. In reply to Netherlands' 91/9, Pakistan reached the target in 13.5 overs with six wickets in hand. Mohammad Rizwan (49—39b) top-scored for Pakistan.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 150/7 (N Hossain Shanto 71; B Muzarabani 2/13); Zimbabwe 147/8 (S Williams 64, T Ahmed 3/19). Bangladesh won by 3 runs.
Netherlands 91/9 (C Ackermann 27; S Khan 3/22); Pakistan 95/4 in 13.5 overs (M Rizwan 49). Pakistan won by 6 wickets.
