Bangladesh vs. Pakistan

Pakistan scored 315/9. They needed a miraculous 307-run victory to make the semi-finals. They'll be going home after this match. Their utterly miserable and mediocre performance against the West Indies cost them a spot in the semi-finals.

Their star batsman did as well as can be expected. The MVP, Babar Azam scored 474 runs, averaged 67.1, with three half-centuries, and one century. Fakhar Zaman, the man who owns the record for the highest ODI score by a Pakistani, failed to deliver. The top-order combined scored 491 runs. By comparison, the two mighty Australian openers have scored over 500 runs each in eight matches so far. No wonder, the magnificent bastards are number one in the tournament.

Anyway, Haris Sohail and Imad Wasim did their jobs well. Amir and the new Afridi took 16 wickets each. In fact, Afridi has the best figures for a Pakistani bowler in all World Cups. He's still a teenager! So, it wasn't all bad. They did fight and beat two of the four semi-finalists. They have the same number of wins as the Kiwis who made the final four. Again, the poor net run rate -- the deciding factor -- is their own doing.

Comments

[Tambi Dude]

"He's still a teenager! "

He is only as much a teenager as Shahid Afridi was 16 in 1996. Seems more like 25-28.

[Isaac Schrödinger]

It's possible. Perhaps, one day, he'll write a book and reveal the not-so-shocking truth.