WHEN Fakhar Zaman picked Taskin Ahmed from outside the off-stump up to go high and long over the midwicket boundary, it was an announcement that he was back.

The left-hander was returning from an injury, replacing Imam-ul-Haq at the top of the order, following an excruciating run of poor form that had cost him his place in the playing eleven after Pakistan’s World Cup opener against the Netherlands.

Fakhar did not look clueless as he had found himself in the recent past. He took his time, and felt the ball hitting his bat.

Once assured he was set to be his ever explosive self, he went for the kill.

At the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday, the flamboyant opener would go on to entertain the 27,000-strong crowd with seven brutal hits for six and three sumptuous boundaries.

The fireworks would add up to his knock off 81 runs off 74 balls, keeping not only himself but Pakistan a relevant force in the World Cup as the side broke their four-match losing streak with a seven-wicket drubbing of Bangladesh.

The two teams met for the first time on the historic land of Bengal, with Bangladesh fans crossing the eastern border in scores to watch their team take on Pakistan.

However, there were many in the crowd who had come to see the Pakistan stars, who are elusive in India. And they didn’t return disappointed.

First it was a classic display of fast bowling, with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim Jr getting the stumps flickering.

Then it was Fakhar’s fireworks along with Abdullah Shafique’s stylish willow work in the City of Joy.

After smacking Taskin earlier, Fakhar danced down the crease to clear wide-long on off spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz and drove Mustafizur Rahman for four.

He flicked Shoriful off his pads in the 10th over as Pakistan posted 52-0 by the end of the powerplay, with Abdullah playing the perfect supporting role, having hit four boundaries.

Fakhar lifted a rising ball audaciously from outside the off-stump for another six off Shoriful two overs later.

Abdullah turned aggre­ssor in the 13th over, playing three shots — a straight drive, an on-drive and a pull — straight out of the coaching manual off Mustafizur.

In the next over, Fakhar took Mehidy to the cleaners again, this time clearing the long-on boundary before Abdullah brought up his half-century off 55 balls.

Fakhar reached the milestone off 51, with a straight hit down the ground off Taskin for another six as Pakistan crossed the 100-run mark in the 18th over.

Abdullah targeted Shakib for the same result in the next over, the right-hander’s first six. He pulled Taskin for another before getting trapped lbw by Mehidy after making 68 off 69 with nine fours and two sixes.

Fakhar took on Mustafizur for another boundary and Mehidy for his final six before he holed another attempt to slog sweep to the fielder at midwicket, with captain Babar Azam having departed not long ago.

The damage, however, was done already as Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed steered Pakistan to a facile victory with nearly 18 overs to spare, giving a crucial boost to the team’s net run-rate.

Earlier, it was Shaheen’s work with the new ball and Wasim Jr’s with the old that left Bangladesh in tatters after they had elected to bat first.

The pace duo took three wickets each at both ends of the Bangladesh innings, which was cut short to just 45.1 overs. Haris Rauf, meanwhile, complimented well with two scalps while spinners Usama Mir and Iftikhar took a wicket apiece.

Bangladesh would have struggled to post even what they managed to had it not been for Mahmudullah’s 56 off 70 balls and captain Shakib al-Hasan’s 64-ball 43.

Mahmudullah added 79 runs with opener Liton Das (45 off 64) after Bangladesh were reduced to 23 for three in the first six overs.

Shaheen was back to his old ways, striking in the first over as his in-swinger jagged into left-hander Tanzid Hasan’s pads to trap him lbw, the decision confirmed after a Bangladesh review. This was Shaheen’s 100th ODI wicket.

Najmul Hossain was the left-armer’s next prey as he found a diving Usama at short midwicket as the batter attempted to flick.

Bangladesh hadn’t hit a single boundary in the opening five overs. But as soon as Haris was introduced, veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim crea­med the pacer for three runs in his first over only.

But Haris had the last laugh, finally pitching it on harder length and finding a genuine outside edge off Mushfiqur’s bat.

Bangladesh were 37-3 by the end of the powerplay but Mahmudullah and Liton got together to rebuild the innings.

The pair kept scoring boundaries almost once in each over and continued to milk singles and doubles as they reached their 50-run partnership in the 17th over with Mahmud­ullah’s crunching cut for four against Wasim.

Three overs later, Liton punished leg-spinner Usama’s wayward bowling with a four and a six.

But the pressure Bangladesh had mounted on the Pakistan bowlers in the last 10 overs, was broken when Liton ballooned Iftikhar’s off-break into the hands of Salman Ali Agha at midwicket. The dismissal choked Bangla­desh for runs before Mahmudullah, after rea­ching his half-century, was undone by a Shaheen ripper in the 31st, having his stumps dislodged with one that swung away from him as the Pakistan pace spearhead bowled from round the wicket.

Bangladesh had no other option but to go for the attack as they reeled at 140-6 in the 32nd over.

Shakib took charge in the 37th over, smashing Iftikhar for three consecutive fours before Mehidy launched Usama for a six but the momentum was lost as Shakib, beaten for pace, top-edged a Haris length ball to get caught by Salman at midwicket.

Fast bowler Wasim Jr provided the finishing punch with three wickets in seven balls, cleaning up the Bangladesh tail using the reverse swing at play perfectly.

SCOREBOARD

BANGLADESH:

Tanzid Hasan lbw b Shaheen 0

Liton Das c Salman b Iftikhar 45

Najmul Hossain c Usama b Shaheen 4

Mushfiqur Rahim c Rizwan b Haris 5

Mahmudullah b Shaheen 56

Shakib Al Hasan c Salman b Haris 43

Towhid Hridoy c Iftikhar b Usama 7

Mehidy Hasan Miraz b Wasim 25

Taskin Ahmed bWasim 6

Mustafizur Rahman b Wasim 3

Shoriful Islam not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-5) 9

TOTAL (all out, 45.1 overs) 204

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Tanzid), 2-6 (Najmul), 3-23 (Mushfiqur), 4-102 (Liton), 5-130 (Mahmudullah), 6-140 (Towhid), 7-185 (Shakib), 8-200 (Mehidy), 9-201 (Taskin)

BOWLING: Shaheen 9-1-23-3 (2w), Iftikhar 10-0-44-1, Haris 8-0-36-2 (2w), Wasim 8.1-1-31-3, Usama 10-0-66-1 (1w)

PAKISTAN:

Abdullah Shafique lbw b Mehidy 68

Fakhar Zaman c Towhid b Mehidy 81

Babar Azam c Mahmudullah b Mehidy 9

Mohammad Rizwan not out 26

Iftikhar Ahmed not out 17

EXTRAS (LB-2, W-2) 4

TOTAL (for three wickets 32.3 overs) 205

DID NOT BAT: Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-128 (Abdullah), 2-160 (Babar), 3-169 (Fakhar) BOWLING: Taskin 6-1-36-0, Islam 4-1-25-0 (1w), Miraz 9-0-60-3, Rahman 7-0-47-0 (1w), Shakib 5.3-0-30-0, Shanto 1-0-5-0

RESULT: Pakistan won by seven wickets.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Fakhar Zaman

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2023