Dubai 5th of September : The second time in the span of a week, an Indian-Pakistan match was decided by the wire.This time, for the second time in Asia Cup 2022, the result of the India-Pakistan match was determined in the final game.However, this time Pakistan won, beating India with five wickets with one ball left in the second Super Four stage match at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.In a match which saw fortunes swing in a wildly unpredictable manner left-arm spin all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz played a decisive role.
In his four overs, Nawaz allowed just 25 runs, and also wiped out Suryakumar Yadav in an intense spell that put a stop to India’s innings following Rohit Sharma and K.L Rahul came out guns blasting in an opening stand of 54 runs.
Returning to their aggressive attack, Virat Kohli top-scored with 60 off 44 balls, scoring four sixes and fours while running hard between wickets.He was also a master in the face of pacers in an innings, even when others struck boundaries, and then fell in an attempt to go big.
Achieving a competitive 181/7, Mohammad Rizwan anchored the chase with 51-ball 71.But the highlight of the match was Nawaz’s rise to four, hitting 42 off just 20 balls, which included 6 fours and 2 sixes, providing the Pakistan team the needed boost in their chase.
With 26 required runs from the last two balls, Khushdil Shah and Asif Ali scored 19 runs off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 19th over.Arshdeep Singh, who was dropped by Ali for ducking earlier in the over, sped the score down to two runs from two balls.
However, Iftikhar Ahmed sealed the game in Pakistan’s favor with the ball that he left.
Sharma and Rahul Rahul and Sharma gave India an exciting start with eight boundaries to earn the team to fifty in 4.2 overs.Haris Rauf ended the standing in the last over of the powerplay when Sharma was unable to hit an earlier ball to point.
The second wicket for India was taken on the very first ball following the powerplay when Rahul took a long-on catch off Shadab.Kohli began by scoring two fours to carry on India’s high-risk method.
However, he was unable to find a pair of partners from the opposite end when Nawaz scored in the 10th over, and saw Suryakumar Yadav work his way through straight to square leg in the backward direction.
With Nawaz keeping things in check, Kohli took to taking fours off Shah and Hasnain by pulling and driving.
However, Rishabh Pant, having hit two fours reverse-swept straight for a forward point off the leg of Shadab Khan.In the following over, Hardik Pandya punched a cross-seam from Mohammad Hasnain straight to a forward-dive short mid-wicket before escaping for two balls of duck.
Deepak Hooda’s opening four was driven hard across the space between mid-off as well as the extra protection off Rauf.He returned to slam a bouncer off Hasnain to the keeper’s head.
Kohli made fifty in 36 balls with some flair by whipping Hasnain over the deep mid-wicket to score six.
The final two overs did not provide a spectacular end for India as Hooda skied high to get long-on off Shah while Kohli fell a couple of inches away of his crease as he tried to make the final run.However, mistakes in the middle of the two last balls resulted in India back-to-back fours that took the total to over 180.
In the defence of 181 the leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi struck in his first over when Babar Azam chipped straight to mid-wicket.Rizwan did not let the pace slow, taking two fours off Pandya’s initial over before throwing Arshdeep beautifully off his wrists with an inverse square leg.
Post-power-play, India kept things tight by keeping Fakhar Zaman in control.The team was rewarded after a pressured Zaman was able to get a straight Long-on off Yuzvendra Chahal.
Nawaz who was elevated to four, started by cutting Chahal past the short third man to get four.
He then smashed Pandya over long-on to score a desperately needed six.While Rizwan took a slog-swept Chahal for six in mid-wicket.Nawaz also hit the exact shot off Bishnoi.
Rizwan who was in the 13th position off 14, scored his fifty in 37 balls, while Nawaz hit Arshdeep down the ground , and hit fours off Pandya through the cover as well as over the wicketkeeper’s neck to ensure that Pakistan in the game.
Nawaz was able to capitalize on Chahal’s loose deliveries by putting fours in the leg-side area, before Rizwan cut through the backward point to take the fourth four in the 15th over, which was 16 runs long.Bhuvneshwar broke the stand of 73 runs in the 16th over when he had the frightened Nawaz offer an easy catch to the long-off off an off-cutter.Pandya’s plan to bowl outside off was successful when Rizwan put an earlier ball straight to the long-off.
Ali was able to escape a tight catch behind a call from Bishnoi in the 18th over.
He also got an opportunity to reclaim the next ball after Arshdeep fell a sitter on the short third man.With the score being 26 balls off 12, Ali, Shah and Ahmed were able to complete an impressive chase to Pakistan.
Brief Scores: India 181/7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 60, Rohit Sharma 28; Shadab Khan 2/31, Mohammad Nawaz 1/25) lost to Pakistan 182/5 in 19.5 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 71, Mohammad Nawaz 42; Ravi Bishnoi 1/26, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/40) by five wickets
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