Greener pastures: Pakistan win Afghan thriller to close in on semis

DUBAI, October 29

Pakistan put one foot in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup today with a nervy five-wicket victory against Afghanistan in the Super 12 stage of the tournament.

The 2009 champions restricted Afghanistan to a modest 147-6 in a match between the top two teams in Group II at Dubai International Stadium.

When they came out to bat, skipper Babar Azam made a fluent 51 but it was Asif Ali’s blistering 25 off seven balls that sealed their tense victory with six balls to spare.

Having beaten India and New Zealand in their first two matches, Pakistan are effectively in the last-four with clashes against minnows Namibia and Scotland remaining.

Earlier, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi repeatedly hit Hazratullah Zazai’s pad after Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi elected to bat.

WI Russell up first win

Sharjah: Andre Russell bowled an immaculate final over to help West Indies pip Bangladesh in a low-scoring thriller by three runs for their first Super 12 win today that kept their T20 World Cup title defence alive.

Both sides came into the contest with two defeats from as many matches and Bangladesh needed 13 in Russell’s final over to chase down West Indies’ 142-7 — built on Nicholas Pooran’s 40 off 22 balls — on a low and slow wicket at Sharjah.

Russell did not find much support from his fielders, who were guilty of dropping catches and poor ground fielding even in the last over, but still gave away only nine runs and restricted Bangladesh to 139-5. With Bangladesh needing four off the final delivery, Russell showed nerves of steel to find the perfect yorker and seal the fate of the contest.

The defeat all but ended the South Asian side’s hopes of advancing to the semifinals. “This win means a lot to the team,” Holder told reporters. — Reuters