136 runs prove too much for Bangladesh, Shaheen-Rauf propel Pakistan to Asia Cup final
In what effectively turned into a “semifinal,” Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 11 runs in the fifth Super Four match to book their place in the final.
Pakistan booked their place in the Asia Cup final with an 11-run win over Bangladesh in Dubai, setting up the first-ever India–Pakistan title clash in the tournament's 41-year history. Chasing a modest target of 136, Bangladesh faltered badly, their batting riddled with poor shot selection and impatience. From the outset, the batters looked unsettled, repeatedly chasing deliveries outside off stump and gifting wickets.
Parvez Hossain Emon fell in the very first over, caught trying to pull outside off, and Towhid Hridoy followed in the fifth over for 5. Saif Hassan, Mahedi Hasan, Nurul Hasan Sohan and Jaker Ali all departed without meaningful contributions, leaving Bangladesh 73 for 6 in the 14th over with the required rate already over 10 runs an over. Shamim Hossain Patwary briefly raised hope with a 25-ball 30, but the lower order could not sustain the chase. Mustafizur Rahman and Rishad Hossain added an unbeaten 23 off 14 balls for the ninth wicket, narrowing the gap, but Bangladesh closed on 124 for 9, never truly threatening to win. Saim Ayub and Shaheen Shah Afridi shared six wickets between them to break the back of the chase.
Earlier, Pakistan had recovered from a desperate position to post 135 for 8. Taskin Ahmed struck early to dismiss Sahibzada Farhan, and Sheikh Mehedi Hasan removed Saim Ayub for a duck. Fakhar Zaman and Hussain Talat soon followed, and captain Salman Ali Agha fell for 19 after a successful review confirmed an edge off Mustafizur. At 49 for 5, Pakistan were in deep trouble. But Mohammad Haris made 31 and Mohammad Nawaz added 25, building partnerships that dragged Pakistan to a competitive total.
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Taskin Ahmed finished with 3 for 28, while Sheikh Mehedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain took two wickets each. Pakistan's resilience with the bat and discipline with the ball proved decisive, while Bangladesh were left to rue another batting collapse. The result knocked Bangladesh out of the tournament and set the stage for a historic India–Pakistan final in Dubai on Sunday.
