11.19 pm: After Pakistan’s win over Afghanistan, here’s what the points table looks like... Pakistan move into fourth place!
11.10 pm: “Pakistan, chasing a modest 228-run target, were in grave danger at 156/6 but Player of the Match Imad (49*) and Shadab Khan (11) put on 50 for the seventh wicket to revive their hopes.
The win lifts Pakistan into fourth place in the 10-team table, above hosts England after a poor start to the tournament.”
Read the match report here.
After 49.4 overs, PAK 230/7 - Imad 49, Riaz 15
Pakistan won by 3 wickets
Pakistan win this! Pakistan win a thriller! Imad was brilliant under pressure, Riaz played a blinder despite that hairline fracture but in the end, one will wonder why did Gulbadin bring himself on to bowl two overs in the end. The first of the two went for 18 runs, the second conceded 8 off 4 balls. Pakistan have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Only they could have done this.
After 49 overs, PAK 222/7 - Imad 42, Riaz 14
Wahab hit the second ball from the Rashid over for a big six and that put the pressure right back on Afghanistan. Pakistan need 6 runs in 6 balls.
After 48 overs, PAK 212/7 - Imad 42, Riaz 5
What an over by Mujeeb!! Just two runs off it. Brilliant. Pakistan need 16 runs in 12 balls. Who will bowl the remaining two overs?
After 47 overs, PAK 210/7 - Imad 41, Riaz 4
Wahab slams the second ball he faces for 4. Pakistan need 18 runs in 18 balls. Can Imad be the hero?
After 46.4 overs, PAK 206/7 - Imad 41
WICKET! Shadab has been run out. He hit it straight to the fielder and set off for two. He didn’t need to... he had already hit a four earlier in the over. This is mad cricket. This is mad cricket even by Pakistan standards. 22 runs needed off 20 balls.
Shadab Khan run out (Naib/Ikram Ali Khil) 11(17, 4x1)
After 46 overs, PAK 200/6 - Imad 40, Shadab 6
4.2.2.4.4.1wd.1
Why did Gulbadin come back to bowl? He could have finished this match with spin from both ends but the Afghanistan skipper decided to come on for one last over... and he was smashed for 18 runs off it. Pakistan need 28 runs in 24 balls.
After 45 overs, PAK 182/6 - Imad 23, Shadab 6
Pakistan need 46 runs in 30 balls. Just two runs off the Shinwari over. This was really good stuff. Shadab was unable to get even a single off the first four balls.
After 44 overs, PAK 180/6 - Imad 22, Shadab 5
Pakistan need 48 runs in 36 balls. Six runs from the Rashid over. Imade didn’t know much but he is doing his bit. A two off the last ball, made it a decent over for Pakistan. We are heading for an exciting finish.
After 43 overs, PAK 174/6 - Imad 18, Shadab 4
Five runs off the Mujeeb over. The equation now reads: 54 runs in 42 balls. One big over can change this around for Pakistan. Afghanistan, on the other hand, need to just keep doing what they are doing. Imad isn’t reading spin very well.
After 42 overs, PAK 169/6 - Imad 14, Shadab 3
8 runs off the Gulbadin over again – his 8 overs have gone for 47 runs today. This is tight, tight stuff. Very nervous. Imad hit a four off the fifth ball, a full toss, and the crowd reacted with cheers.
After 41 overs, PAK 161/6 - Imad 8, Shadab 1
And the momentum is now flowing completely in Afghanistan’s way. Imad is a bit of a slogger, so this won’t be easy for him. Shadab can bat but has he ever faced this kind of pressure?
After 40 overs, PAK 157/6 - Imad 5, Shadab 0
Mujeeb follows that up with a one-run over. He is giving nothing away. There is the run-rate pressure and then there are the spinners. Pakistan are in big, big trouble.
After 39 overs, PAK 156/6 - Imad 4
WICKET! Four dot balls to begin the over, a single off the fifty ball and then Sarfaraz decided he wanted two off the last ball. But it was a risky two and he was caught well out of the crease. Poor thinking this. Suicidal. Afghanistan have this.
Sarfaraz run out (Najibullah/Ikram Ali Khil) 18 (22, 4x1)
After 38 overs, PAK 154/5 - Sarfaraz 17, Imad 3
Pakistan need 74 runs in 72 balls. Pakistan need to stay calm but that is usually beyond them. An 8-run over gets this back to almost run-a-ball. Four off the last ball by Sarfaraz made it a good over for Pakistan.
After 37 overs, PAK 146/5 - Sarfaraz 11, Imad 1
Pakistan need 82 runs in 78 balls. How have Pakistan managed to get themselves in so much trouble? It is a question only they can answer. At various stages in the game, they were cruising. But they have thrown their wickets away and are now badly struggling.
After 35 overs, PAK 142/5 - Sarfaraz 10
WICKET! Rashid comes to the party and sends back the in-form Haris. This is a big, big wicket. Got it to pitch in line with the leg-stump and straighten. A bit too quick for the well-set Haris. Pakistan in big trouble now.
Haris Sohail lbw b Rashid Khan 27 (57, 4x2)
After 30.1 overs, PAK 121/4 - Haris 19, Sarfaraz 2
Shinwari dropped Sarfaraz off the first ball. He hit it hard and Shinwari wasn’t able to react quickly enough to hold on to the chance. Pakistan doing everything in their power to lose this game.
After 29.1 overs, PAK 121/4 - Haris 18
WICKET! Mujeeb comes into the attack and Hafeez obliges by throwing his wicket away. The first ball was very wide and the batsman was unable to keep it down and hit it straight to the fielder at backward point. Is this really Pakistan’s most experienced player?
Hafeez c Shahidi b Mujeeb 19 (35, 4x1)
After 27 overs, PAK 113/3 - Hafeez 17, Haris 13
The partnership continues to grow in confidence. Hafeez and Haris are starting to come to terms with the wicket and play a few more shots now. They have put on 32 in 58 balls.
After 25 overs, PAK 103/3 - Hafeez 15, Haris 6
Hafeez playing a few shots but he needs to be really careful here. Haris is being extremely circumspect at the moment. This is a chance for Afghanistan to really tighten the screws and pile on the pressure. Clearly, pressure gets Pakistan to do things they wouldn’t normally.
After 23 overs, PAK 94/3 - Hafeez 8, Haris 3
Shinwari comes into the attack. No real reason for Gulbadin to go to him unless of course he thinks Hafeez likes getting out to part-timers. If Hafeez gets out to him, he should just retire. One is bad enough, twice is a shame, four times in a row... calls for retirement. Three runs from the over.
After 17.2 overs, PAK 81/3 - Hafeez 0, Haris 0
WICKET!! Brilliant from Nabi. He sends back Babar now. He has clearly been Afghanistan’s best spinner in this tournament. Babar went for the slog sweep, missed and got bowled around his legs. Just what was he thinking? Pakistan never make things easy for themselves.
Babar Azam b Nabi 45 (51, 4x5)
After 15.5 overs, PAK 72/2 - Babar 35
WICKET! Imam has a brain fade. That is the only way to describe the dismissal. After a quiet over, he decided he needed to smash Nabi out of the park and finish the game in two overs. He charged out of his crease, Nabi pushed it wide and Ikram finished the job off with a good stumping. Poor, poor cricket. No match awareness.
Imam st Ikram Ali Khil b Nabi 36 (51, 4x4)
After 15 overs, PAK 71/1 - Imam-ul-Haq 36, Babar 35
Rashid comes into the attack and is taken for seven runs off his first three balls. He just hasn’t found the control he needs in this tournament. Pakistan have had a calm first 15 overs... just what they needed.
After 12 overs, PAK 54/1 - Imam-ul-Haq 30, Babar 24
Babar was making the push initially but now Imam has found his rhythm as well. Still, the Pakistan batsmen don’t need to take unnecessary risks at the moment. They attempted a quick single in Nabi’s first over and they were lucky that the Afghan fielder didn’t score a direct hit.
After 10 overs, PAK 49/1 - Imam-ul-Haq 26, Babar 23
Superb rebuild by Pakistan after losing Fakhar in the first over. Imam and Babar have gone about things without much fuss – rotating the strike and scoring boundaries to make sure the run-rate remains in a comfortable space.
After 7 overs, PAK 32/1 - Imam-ul-Haq 12, Babar 20
A few good overs for Afghanistan. Just 6 runs in the last three overs. But Afghanistan have wasted their review on an LBW appeal. The ball from Mujeeb clearly hit Babar’s pad outside the line of the off-stump but they decided to go for the review anyway. Bad idea.
After 4 overs, PAK 26/1 - Imam-ul-Haq 9, Babar 17
Two fours in the over from Hasan, both for Babar. The line hasn’t been great and the batsman has taken full advantage.
After 3 overs, PAK 17/1 - Imam-ul-Haq 9, Babar 8
Mujeeb remains a threat but Babar and Imam have looked in good touch throughout the tournament. They have shrugged aside the loss of the early wicket and are scoring runs easily, without much risk.
After 0.2 overs, PAK 0/1 - Imam-ul-Haq 0
WICKET! Mujeeb strikes with just the second delivery of the innings! Farhan pushed forward to defend, unsure of which way the ball will turn and was trapped LBW. Pakistan went for the review but it didn’t help. The carrom ball gets the big wicket.
Fakhar Zaman lbw b Mujeeb 0 (2)
Pakistan begin their chase. It could be a tricky total if they don’t get a good start.
After 50 overs, AFG 227/9 - Shinwari 19, Mujeeb 7
Pakistan need 228 to win. Afghanistan have done well to play out their full quota on overs. They will be slightly disappointed with the fact that many of their batsmen got starts but were unable to go on. Still, 227 will give them some hope. A few early wickets could put the pressure right back on Pakistan.
After 48.2 overs, AFG 219/9 - Shinwari 19
WICKET! Another wicket for Pakistan. That yorker from Wahab was just too good. Too good for a tailender. Once he starts getting it to reverse from around the wicket, he is hard to stop.
Hamid b Riaz 1 (3)
After 47 overs, AFG 211/8 - Shinwari 11, Hamid 0
Afridi finishes his spell with 4-47. He got taken for runs initially but came back pretty well. To go with his three wickets in the last game, he certainly is making a name for himself. And remember, he is just 19.
After 46.4 overs, AFG 210/8 - Shinwari 11
WICKET! Afridi strikes with his slower ball. Rashid was looking to play the big shots but was deceived by the change of place. The ball went up high and was easily caught by Fakhar Zaman.
Rashid Khan c Fakhar Zaman b Shaheen Afridi 8 (12, 4x1)
After 44.4 overs, AFG 202/7 - Shinwari 11
WICKET! Just a couple of balls after hitting Afridi for a wonderful four, Najibullah falls. He played on and that ended a wonderful innings. He kept this going and has given Afghanistan something to bowl at when they take the field. If Rashid and Shinwari put on around 30-40, we just might have a very interesting game on our hands.
Najibullah b Shaheen Afridi 42 (54, 4x6)
After 40 overs, AFG 184/6 - Najibullah 33, Shinwari 3
Afghanistan continue to soldier on. Their run-rate has remained decent but if only they had lost fewer wickets, they could have really made these last 10 overs count. Najibullah, in particular, has looked good as he has at various times during the tournament.
After 36.4 overs, AFG 167/6 - Najibullah 20
WICKET! Wahab’s short ball was too good and Nabi’s reflex hook shot flew straight to the man at fine leg. Amir, for a change, held on. A wicket at the wrong time for Afghanistan. They have got things going and lost wickets at inopportune moments in this innings.
Nabi c Amir b Riaz 16 (33)
After 35 overs, AFG 159/5 - Nabi 14, Najibullah 15
Good, steady stuff by th Afghans. Nabi is showing the value of his experience. Not too many shots being played but they don’t really need to do that either.
After 33 overs, AFG 145/5 - Nabi 10, Najibullah 10
Smart cricket for the moment. But they need to keep it together. Shaheen has been all over the place today – not consistent enough to trouble the batsmen regularly today.
After 30 overs, AFG 134/5 - Nabi 7, Najibullah 3
Time for the Afghans to build another partnership. There is definitely something there for the spinners but will the Afghans get enough runs on board? Nabi can bat, he can hit the big shots too but for now, they need to bat sensibility.
After 27 overs, AFG 125/5 - Nabi 3
WICKET! Ikram’s patience finally gives out. He decides he needs to get into the act as well, tries to smash Imad down the wicket but hits it straight to the fielder. Just what was he thinking here... spin is definitely going to play a role later on but for that Afghanistan need to put runs on board.
Ikram Ali Khil c Hafeez b Imad Wasim 24 (66, 4x1)
After 25.2 overs, AFG 121/4 - Ikram 23
WICKET! Shadab had taken some stick from Afghan but he finally gets his own back. The right-hander was down the wicket once again but this time, the leg-spinner got the google to turn the other way and crash into the off-stump. Big wicket, solid knock. Afghanistan would have loved him to have gone on for a while more.
Asghar Afghan b Shadab Khan 42 (35, 4x3, 6x2)
After 25 overs, AFG 120/3 - Ikram 22, Afghan 42
Great batting conditions but if the Afghans manage to put up a decent total on board, their spinners might just come into play in the second innings. This partnership is already worth 63 off 78 balls.
After 22 overs, AFG 111/3 - Ikram 16, Afghan 39
Ikram’s 16 runs have come off 47 balls but he is doing a good job for the team. Allowing the others to bat around him. He has clearly been asked to try and bat through the innings.
After 19 overs, AFG 101/3 - Ikram 12, Afghan 33
Afghan certainly is keeping Pakistan on their toes. This cameo has stunned Pakistan a little here. They aren’t quite sure how to deal with it. Another four off Wahab brought up the 100 of the innings.
First 50 - 64 balls
Second 50 - 45 balls
After 18 overs, AFG 96/3 - Ikram 12, Afghan 28
Afghan is playing a blinder here. He slammed Shadab Khan for a four and six in the last over and now has 28 off just 16 balls. Shadab has conceded 18 off his 2 overs.
After 17 overs, AFG 83/3 - Ikram 11, Afghan 16
Time for a drinks break. Afghanistan have lost wicket but they have played some brave cricket too. The batsmen haven’t been afraid of playing their shots but now they enter a period of the game where they should be looking to consolidate.
After 14 overs, AFG 71/3 - Ikram 7, Afghan 10
Afghan isn’t going to hold back. He waltzed down the pitch and slog swept Imad for a big six. Is that going to be the way to go? The surface is helping the spinners and that might make things interesting in the second half.
After 13 overs, AFG 62/3 - Ikram 3, Afghan 2
The pressure will keep going up for the Afghans. Are they prepared to soak it up? Or will they look to play their shots now?
After 12 overs, AFG 57/3 - Ikram 3
WICKET! The set batsman is walking back. He tried to turn it to the leg-side but the ball from Imad, gripped the surface and seemed to turn just a little. It took a leading edge and popped up to Babar on the off-side and he took the catch easily.
Rahmat c Babar Azam b Imad Wasim 35 (43, 4x5)
After 11 overs, AFG 51/2 - Rahmat 30, Ikram 2
Rahmat is looking comfortable in the middle but Afghanistan need this pair to go on for a while even if the run-rate isn’t that great. The quick runs early on have given them a cushion for now.
After 10 overs, AFG 46/2 - Rahmat 27, Ikram 0
Imad comes back into the attack as the Powerplay overs come to an end. Afghanistan started very well but have been pegged back by Afridi’s two-wicket burst.
After 8 overs, AFG 40/2 - Rahmat 21, Ikram 0
Amir is giving absolutely nothing away. He has bowled 4 overs already and given away just 10 runs.
After 7 overs, AFG 39/2 - Rahmat 20, Ikram 0
Rahmat continues to look like Afghanistan’s best batsman from a technical point of view. Very sorted and he has shown that aspect of his game in the earlier games as well.
After 6 overs, AFG 32/2 - Rahmat 13, Ikram 0
Ikram survived off the last ball thanks to a review. The umpire had given him out LBW but there was a clear inside edge. Afghanistan are trying to play some shots here but they need to get a partnership going now.
After 4.5 overs, AFG 27/2 - Rahmat 12
WICKET! Afridi strikes again. Two balls, two wickets. This was going down the leg-side, the batsman looked to help it along but got a leading edge to mid-off.
Shahidi c Imad Wasim b Shaheen Afridi 0 (1)
After 4.4 overs, AFG 27/1 - Rahmat 12
WICKET! Two loose deliveries from Afridi were dispatched to the boundary line earlier in the over. This was wide too but it moved just a little. Got a bottom edge. The umpire didn’t give it out initially. But Pakistan took the review and it did the trick.
Naib c Sarfaraz b Shaheen Afridi 15 (12, 4x3)
After 4 overs, AFG 17/0 - Rahmat 12, Gulbadin 5
A bit too short from Amir on the fourth ball and Rahmat was onto it in a flash. Lovely pull shot for four. Good start for Afghanistan. They haven’t allowed the Pakistani bowlers to settle.
After 3 overs, AFG 9/0 - Rahmat 4, Gulbadin 5
No run off the first five ball for Imad and on the sixth ball, Gulbadin unleashed a wonderful cover drive. It sped away to the boundary line. Wonderful timing.
After 2 overs, AFG 5/0 - Rahmat 4, Gulbadin 1
Amir into the attack and he started off with a maiden. He is getting some movement. This might prompt a change from the other end too.
After 1 over, AFG 5/0 - Rahmat 4, Gulbadin 1
Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim gets the new ball on what looks like a dry pitch. But no trouble for Afghanistan. They play him without much trouble and milk him for five runs.
2.58 pm: National anthems are done. We are all set to go.
2.37 pm: The squads
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Gulbadin Naib(c), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shinwari, Najibullah Zadran, Ikram Ali Khil(w), Rashid Khan, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Sarfaraz Ahmed(w/c), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi
2.33 pm: Afghanistan have won the toss and elected to bat first.
2.10 pm: Hello all and welcome to our live coverage of the World Cup. It’s the start of what could be a week of reckoning for many a team at this World Cup. We start off the final leg of matches with Afghanistan taking on Pakistan in Leeds.
Staring at a possible league stage elimination after three defeats and a washout, Pakistan have staged a remarkable comeback with wins over South Africa and New Zealand to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
A couple of losses for hosts England only brightened the 1992 winners’ prospects of a semifinal berth. The mood among Pakistan fans seems especially upbeat, given the eerie similarities to that World Cup campaign 27 years ago.
There were quite a few positives from the six-wicket victory over New Zealand, with Babar Azam’s century and Shaheen Afridi’s five-wicket haul being the most prominent ones.
Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib has reminded Pakistan of the threat posed by leg-spinner Rashid Khan ahead of their World Cup meeting on Saturday.
Rashid, third in the one-day international bowling rankings, has taken just four wickets at the tournament so far.
He returned humiliating figures of 0-110 in his nine overs against England – the worst in the competition’s history.
But Naib gave a reminder of the threat posed by the 20-year-old, whose tally of 129 ODI wickets since the end of the 2015 World Cup is bettered only by England’s Adil Rashid.
“Pakistan are a strong team and played spin very well in their last two games,” Naib said.
“But Rashid is a different spinner, he’s very different to other leg-spinners. It’s very difficult to pick him.
“In this World Cup I don’t think he’s been at his best but he’s given everything in terms of effort. On his day, it’s very difficult for any team to deal with him.”
“If it is a Rashid day, it’s very difficult for anyone,” added the skipper, who will be desperate for a win against Pakistan after seven defeats in seven matches.
Pakistan have shown their prowess against the turning ball in successive victories over South Africa and New Zealand that have revitalised their chances of reaching the semi-finals.
(With agency inputs. Screengrabs in the blog courtesy Hotstar)