RAWALPINDI: Rachin Ravindra struck a superb 112 to lead New Zealand into the Champions Trophy semifinals with a five-wicket win over Bangladesh and in turn dump hosts Pakistan out of the semifinal race.
The result in Rawalpindi also ensured India’s semifinal berth in the 50-over tournament as Bangladesh became the other team from Group A to be knocked out.
Both New Zealand and India have two wins from two matches and will now meet in Dubai on Sunday to decide team one and two from the group.
Pakistan, who won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017, lost to New Zealand and then India in the first International Cricket Council (ICC) event they are hosting since the 1996 ODI World Cup.
India refused to tour Pakistan due to political reasons and instead are playing all their matches in Dubai, which will host the final if the Asian giants go the distance.
New Zealand have been the team to beat in this group after they humbled Pakistan by 60 runs in the tournament opener.
Coming in as firm favorites in their second match, New Zealand elected to field first and spinner Michael Bracewell returned career-best ODI figures of 4-36 to restrict Bangladesh to 236-9.
Chasing 237 for victory, New Zealand slipped to 15-2 and 72-3 before Ravindra and fellow left-hander Tom Latham, who made 55, added 129 for the fourth wicket.
Both were dismissed before the end but New Zealand still achieved the target with 23 balls to spare.
The Black Caps had a disastrous start when pace bowler Tasking Ahmed bowled first-match centurion Will Young for a duck.
Bangladesh’s new pace sensation Nahid Rana took down Kane Williamson caught behind for five with a delivery bowled at 148.8 kph (92.4 mph).
Ravindra, who returned to the team after recovering from a nasty blow to his forehead in a recent tri-series match against Pakistan, joined Devon Conway to rebuild the innings.
Conway hit back with a flurry of boundaries and made 30 before Bangladesh checked the surge and Mustafizur Rahman hurried one on to the left-hander who chopped on to his stumps.
Ravindra stood firm and with fellow left-hander Latham, another centurion in the opener against Pakistan, waded his way through the chase and after reaching his fifty bossed the bowlers.
He raised his fourth ODI ton with a single off Rana and raised his bat to soak up the applause.
Ravindra finally fell, caught at long-on off leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, and wicketkeeper-batsman Latham’s run out added some late drama. But Glenn Phillips, 21 not out, and Bracewell, who hit the winning boundary, sealed the chase.
Player of the match Bracewell set up victory with key strikes that started with his second delivery to dismiss Tanzid Hasan out for 24 and end a strong start by Bangladesh.
Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto made 77 and Jaker Ali 45 in an attempt to put up a competitive total but Bracewell kept getting wickets.
He was ably supported by the New Zealand quicks with rookie Will O’Rourke returning with two wickets.
Rachin Ravindra ton powers New Zealand into semis, hosts Pakistan out
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Rachin Ravindra ton powers New Zealand into semis, hosts Pakistan out
- Pakistan, who won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017, lost to New Zealand and then India
Spin-heavy Pakistan hit form, but India boycott risks early T20 exit
- Pakistan face must-win group matches, leaving no margin for error in T20 World Cup progression
- Recent series wins have restored confidence, but batting volatility remains Pakistan’s biggest risk
LAHORE: Pakistan’s spin-heavy squad are in winning form ahead of the T20 World Cup, but a controversial decision to forfeit their marquee clash against India could still trigger another early exit.
Pakistan came close to withdrawing from the tournament in solidarity with Bangladesh, who pulled out after refusing to play in India, citing security concerns.
The Pakistan government eventually cleared the team’s participation but it barred them from facing India in Colombo in a blockbuster clash on February 15.
With two points for a win, a forfeit of the match will leave Pakistan with no margin for error if they are to progress as one of the top two from a five-team Group A.
It means they must win their opening game against the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday and beat the United States three days later to stay in contention.
Their final group game will be against Namibia on February 18.
Captain Salman Agha said the move to boycott the India game was out of the team’s hands.
“That is not our decision. We have to follow what our government decides,” he said.
The Pakistan government has not said what their stance might be if the team were to end up facing India again in the semifinals or final. Agha was not thinking about that.
“Our job is to win, and we are capable of doing that,” he said.
Pakistan will be keen to avoid a repeat of the last T20 World Cup in 2024, where a shock super over defeat to co-hosts the United States led to them failing to get out of the group.
The side has since faced criticism for failing to adapt to the modern demands of T20 cricket, with the batting, particularly Babar Azam’s low strike rate, under scrutiny.
The criticism was fueled by Pakistan’s record last year, where 21 of their 34 T20 international wins came against lower-ranked opponents.
CONFIDENCE RESTORED
Against elite teams, the results were sobering: three losses to India in the Asia Cup and a 4-1 series defeat to New Zealand.
However, Agha believes recent performances have restored confidence.
Pakistan beat South Africa 2-1, won a home tri-series, and then completed a 3-0 sweep of an under-strength Australia.
“We’ve had good preparation by beating Australia. We have the luxury of quality spinning all-rounders like Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan and Saim Ayub.
“We’re ticking most boxes and believe we can win the World Cup,” Agha said.
The spin department has been strengthened by Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq, the latter known for his unusual, slingy action and exaggerated pause at the crease.
The pace attack is led by the experienced Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.
Faheem Ashraf provides seam-bowling all-round support and newcomer Salman Mirza has been impressive.
Batting remains Pakistan’s most volatile component.
When openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan provide strong starts, the side can post competitive totals, but collapses remain a constant threat.
Head coach Mike Hesson has added another layer of risk by leaving out experienced wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan because of poor form, opting instead for makeshift options in Usman Khan, Khawaja Nafay and Farhan.
For Pakistan, the ingredients for a deep run are present, but with points potentially forfeited, there is little room left for error.
