In match 2 of the super four round of the Asia Cup 2022, Pakistan defeated India by five wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, UAE.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bowl first. Although Pakistani bowlers got smacked for boundaries in the first few overs, they kept on taking wickets regularly throughout the game. Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz bowled their hearts out which helped them restrict India to 181/7 runs in 20 overs.
While chasing, Mohammad Rizwan (71) batted beautifully and created a strong base for the Men in Green. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batter smashed six fours and two sixes which brought the game to Pakistan’s side. Nawaz (42) also played a strong cameo wherein he batted at the strike rate of over 200 that too at a crucial juncture of the match. In the end, it was Khushdil Shah’s (14*) and Asif Ali’s (16) valuable contribution which won the game in the final over.
For the Men in Blue, the only positive sign the fans can look into is Virat Kohli’s (60) form. The legendary batsman contributed significantly which led India to a good score. No other batter looked good except for both the openers, KL Rahul (28) and Rohit Sharma (28).
Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Hasnain grabbed one wicket each. With them, Shahdab Khan claimed two wickets as well.
For India, all the five bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal, got one wicket each.
Mohammad Nawaz was adjudged Man of the Match for his excellent all-round performance. With this win, Pakistan have claimed two points and are sitting second in the super four points table.
Scorecard:
India: 181/7, Overs 20, Virat Kohli (60), Shahdab Khan 2/32
Pakistan: 182/5, Overs 19.5, Mohammad Rizwan (71), Ravi Bishnoi 1/26