Shaheen Afridi’s record-breaking haul of 3-23 on Tuesday helped Pakistan end their four-match losing streak at the Cricket World Cup and eliminate Bangladesh from semi-final contention with a seven-wicket win.
Another woeful batting display by Bangladesh saw them bowled out for 204 as Afridi became the fastest bowler in one-day international history to grab 100 wickets, doing it in his 51st game. The left-arm Pakistan pacer surpassed Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, who achieved the feat in 52 games.
Fit-again Fakhar Zaman, one of the three changes Pakistan made, made a triumphant return from his knee injury and made 81 off 74 as Pakistan cruised to 205-3 in 32.3 overs.
Photo: AFP
“Credit to the boys, the way they played in all three departments,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said. “We know how well Fakhar plays when he’s going. Good to see him do it. We are trying to win our remaining matches and see where we stand. This win hopefully gives confidence in the coming matches.”
Pakistan’s third win in seven games lifted them to No. 5 in the points table.
However, they not only need to win the remaining two league games against New Zealand and England, but their hopes of finishing in the top four still depend on favorable results in other games.
A sixth successive loss left Bangladesh just ahead of defending championd England at the bottom of standings on net run-rate with only two points, which also puts yheir qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy in danger. The top seven teams at the World Cup plus hosts Pakistan are to qualify for the eight-team event.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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