Pakistan looked calm and in control. It was a convincing win over Bangladesh. The good sign coming out of the win was Pakistan's body language. The captain was calm. Overall this win will do a lot for the confidence of the side in the tournament. They still have to qualify for the semi-finals.
The good thing was that the top three batsmen got runs. The top-order had been struggling before, today even Shahid Afridi got runs after he promoted himself. It was a complete performance and the best thing was that the fielding was top notch.
In our part of the world, cricketers are always under pressure if they do not do well on the field. Afridi is no different. He gave perfect response to all those who may have questioned him. He led from the front, batted well, took wickets. In T20 cricket he is one of the most experienced bowler. Afridi always performs when chips are down for himself and the team. I expected no different from him.
The good thing was that the top three batsmen got runs. The top-order had been struggling before, today even Shahid Afridi got runs after he promoted himself. It was a complete performance and the best thing was that the fielding was top notch.
In our part of the world, cricketers are always under pressure if they do not do well on the field. Afridi is no different. He gave perfect response to all those who may have questioned him. He led from the front, batted well, took wickets. In T20 cricket he is one of the most experienced bowler. Afridi always performs when chips are down for himself and the team. I expected no different from him.
Ahmed Shehzad made a good return to the side. I do not know why he was dropped for Asia Cup. Pakistan had invested in him so much, then they dropped him for discipline or performance. Players like Shehzad need to be backed, because he is a tremendous fielder. He is growing up as a player and as an individual, keep Shehzad in the squad always.
Bangladesh lost steam in the very first few overs. Their body language was not great. They were coming off seaming pitches during the Asia Cup, but unfortunately for them the Eden track was a good batting deck. But I still think they will be a dangerous side and can inflict a few defeats in this tournament.
Bangladesh don't have a big hitter. What they have are a couple of smart cricketers like Shakib and Mushfigur Rahim. Shakib got 50 odd, so he will now have some confidence. Mahmudullah did not fire, so that hurt Bangladesh's chances. Bangladesh need a big hitter at number seven or eight to make the most of the end overs. Mashrafe is a bowler who can bat. I would not advice him to do what Afridi did by promoting himself up the order. Afridi used to open, it is much more difficult for a bowler who can bat. I thought Pakistan bowled well as a group, especially the captain and were always in control.
The way India lost against New Zealand they will be under extra pressure against Pakistan. But this Indian team has quality and their confidence will be high. As a player it did not matter what was the result in the last match against the same side or in the last world event. What matters is what happens today, so for both India and Pakistan 19 March will be a fresh day.
Virat holds the key to India's fortunes in the batting. I think Indian batting panicked while chasing 126. Once a couple of wickets fell, they lost concentration. Ideally they should have scored three to four runs an over and got to 75-80 in 15 overs. Anyways this can happen in one-off cases.
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