Tag: Babar Azam

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam landed in Lahore from Dubai in the wee hours of Monday after a dismal performance at the ICC World Cup 2023.

Babar Azam along with some members of the PCB including the team manager reached Lahore from Dubai by a private airline.

The captain of the national team was escorted to his car under strict security. The fans who gathered at the airport chanted slogans in favour of the Pakistan team.

Masses present at the airport raised “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans after seeing the skipper and took selfies with him.

The Babar Azam-led Pakistan side was knocked out of the ICC World Cup 2023 amid their final group stage clash against defending champions England on Saturday.

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Pakistan needed to win their last fixture by a hefty margin of 287 runs or 260 balls to spare to go past New Zealand’s superior net run-rate, who consequently managed to hold on to their fourth spot in the standings.

Pakistan, while chasing a daunting 338-run target, could get to 30/2 in 6.4 overs, resulting in them bowing out of the semi-final race.

The Green Shirts’ campaign in the ICC World Cup 2023 was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.

Babar Azam’s men started their World Cup campaign with two victories.

They outclassed the Netherlands by 81 runs in their campaign opener before they pulled off the highest run chase in the history of the ODI World Cup to down Sri Lanka by six wickets.

However, it was a sudden change of fortune for the men in green as they succumbed to a four-match losing streak, their first in the history of the World Cup.

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Their four-match losing streak saw them sink to their first-ever loss against Afghanistan in ODIs before losing to South Africa for the first time in a World Cup match in this century.

When it appeared to be done and dusted for the Green Shirts, Babar Azam’s men scripted an astonishing comeback to the ICC World Cup 2023 semi-final race by thrashing Bangladesh by seven wickets and 105 balls to spare.

Pakistan then pulled off another heist when they downed New Zealand by 21 runs as per the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern (DLS) method despite the latter side scoring a mammoth 401/6 in the allotted 50 overs.

READ: Sri Lanka cricket skipper pleads for ICC suspension to end

KOLKATA: Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam said Friday that he has a plan to improve their net run-rate in their all-important ICC World Cup 2023 fixture against England on Saturday.

New Zealand’s convincing five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on Thursday, took a toll on Pakistan’s already slim chances of semi-final qualification as the 1992 champions now need to thrash the defending champions by a hefty margin.

Pakistan, who are in fifth position with eight points in as many matches, will now need to win their last ICC World Cup 2023 fixture against England by at least 287 runs to go past New Zealand in the standings.

If they bowl first, then they would have to beat England with 284 balls to spare, which means they will have to chase down the target in just 2.4 overs.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Babar Azam is determined to end their World Cup campaign on a high note, asserting that any thing can happen in cricket.

“Anything can happen in cricket. We will try to finish the tournament on a high note,” said Babar.

“We have a plan for net run-rate and will try to execute it. We have planned about how to play the first 10 overs and what to do after that. If Fakhar Zaman plays for 20-30 overs, we can achieve what’s required.

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The Pakistan captain also emphasized that wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and middle-order batter Iftikhar Ahmed are crucial for the team.

“The role of Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan will also be important during the match.”

Babar Azam then denied the potential of captaincy taking a toll on his individual performance, stating there is no pressure on him while asserting his focus is solely on the next match.

“There is no pressure on me. I was performing and leading the side for the past three years as well.

Right now, my focus is on the next match. I will think about the future of captaincy later.”

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DUBAI: Indian opening batter Shubman Gill has replaced Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam, ending his more than two-year reign at the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Shubman Gill became the fourth Indian player to become the No. 1 ODI batter after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, on the back of his solid performance in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam has scored 282 runs from eight outings in the mega event and lost six rating points, hence slipping to the second position for the first time after occupying the top spot for more than two years.

Shubman Gill has accumulated a total of 219 runs from six innings at the tournament including a 92 against Sri Lanka.

Overall, Indian players gained substantial rewards in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Rankings, owing to India’s undefeated run in the ICC World Cup 2023.

India’s star batter Virat Kohli jumped three places to reach the fourth spot, with a difference of a mere one rating point from South African Quinton de Kock, who is ranked third.

Kohli is currently the second-highest run-getter in the ICC World Cup 2023 with 543 runs from eight innings, only behind De Kock, who has scored 550 runs in as many innings with four centuries.

India’s Shreyas Iyer also made a big leap of 17 places to reach 18th position after amassing 293 runs from eight innings, while Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman jumped three spots to 11th and Afghanistan’s opener Ibrahim Zadran reached 12th after jumping six spots.

Shubman Gill’s opening partner and India’s captain Rohit Sharma is placed at the sixth spot with 739 rating points.

On the other hand, the Indian bowlers also earned a place in the top ten of the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, after wreaking havoc throughout the ICC World Cup 2023.

Pace bowler Mohammed Siraj regained his top spot in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings after jumping two spots, whereas fellow pacer Mohammed Shami climbed seven spots to tenth, after picking 16 wickets in four games in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav and Jaspirt Bumrah gained three places to reach the fourth and eighth positions respectively.

Pakistan’s pace bowler, Shaheen Afridi, who became the number one ODI bowler last week, lost his place and slipped four places down to fifth position, equalling Australia’s Josh Hazlewood with 658 rating points.

Australia’s Adam Zampa, who is currently the second leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 20 wickets jumped six places to reach third position, whereas, the leading wicket-taker Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka climbed 31 places to 45th.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan continues to lead the ICC ODI All-Rounder Rankings, however, Australia’s Glenn Maxwell gained two spots to sixth after his match-winning double-hundred against Afghanistan yesterday

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DUBAI: Pakistan’s left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi made a big leap to top the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings.

Shaheen Afridi, the spearhead of Pakistan’s pace attack, jumped nine places to claim the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings, owing to his impressive showing in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.

He has taken the joint most wickets in the tournament alongside Australia leg spinner Adam Zampa, with both bowlers taking 16 wickets each.

He added three wickets to his tally yesterday during Pakistan’s thumping seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Kolkata, helping his side remain in contention for the semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2023.

Shaheen Afridi also became the fastest pacer to take 100 wickets in ODI cricket during the match against Bangladesh. He achieved the milestone in 51 innings, piping previous record-holder Mitchell Starc, who conceded 52 innings.

Shaheen Afridi overtook the likes of Australia’s Josh Hazlewood (second), India’s Mohammed Siraj (third) and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj (fourth) in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, who lost one place courtesy of his big leap.

He has occupied the number one ranking in any format for the first time, meanwhile, his teammate and Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam has clung to his number one spot in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings by the barest of margins.

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Babar Azam is holding onto his position with 818 rating points, however, right-handed Indian batter Shubman Gill is ranked second with a difference of a mere two rating points.

Azam has accumulated a total of 216 runs from seven innings in the ICC World Cup 2023, while Shubman Gill has managed only 104 runs in four innings.

Moreover, Australian opening batter David Warner, who is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the ICC World Cup 2023 jumped one spot to fourth. Warner has scored 413 in six innings at an average of 68.83.

Netherlands’ skipper Scott Edwards also made a big leap of 11 places to equal 16th position after scoring 204 runs from six innings at the ICC World Cup 2023.

South Africa’s Marco Jansen moved two places to ninth in the ICC all-rounders rankings, while New Zealand youngster Rachin Ravindra climbed 14 spots to 17th.

READ: Shaheen Afridi becomes fastest pacer to 100 ODI wickets

Pakistan captain Babar Azam said Tuesday that he still clings to the hope that his team can squeeze into the ICC World Cup 2023 semi-finals despite the odds stacked against them.

“Yes. We are trying to win our next two matches and let’s see where we stand,” said Babar Azam after a seven-wicket romp over Bangladesh gave them a third win in seven matches.

“We will take a lot of confidence into those matches.”

Pakistan have six points and sit in fifth place in the ICC World Cup 2023 points table.

Australia, in fourth place, have eight points and a game in hand while third-placed New Zealand are third, also on eight points, having also played one game fewer.

Pakistan face the Kiwis on Saturday in Bengaluru before finishing their ICC World Cup 2023 group campaign against defending champions England in Kolkata on November 11.

As well as two wins, the 1992 champions will need other results go their way if they are to stay in the tournament.

On Tuesday, Shaheen Shah Afridi grabbed three wickets while openers Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique made 81 and 68 respectively as Pakistan chased down a 205-run target for the loss of three wickets with 105 balls to spare.

“We know when Fakhar [Zaman] plays the way he can for 20-30 overs it is a different ball game. So we let him play his natural game and it is good to see,” said Babar Azam of Zaman, the only Pakistan batsman to have scored a double century in one-day international cricket.

Babar Azam added: “We started well. Shaheen took early wickets. The main thing is we stuck to our length in the middle overs and we took wickets.”

Fakhar, a 33-year-old left-hander, was playing only his second match of the tournament after being sidelined with a knee injury.

“We were anxiously waiting for this win,” said Zaman.

“Every win in the World Cup boosts the confidence and our aim is to win the remaining two matches. Our target is semi-final.”

Zaman admitted the defeat to India earlier in the tournament had been a bodyblow but the team had gained new confidence by pushing South Africa all the way.

Pakistan fought hard against the Proteas only to lose by a narrow one-wicket margin in Chennai on Friday.

“That loss to India made the difference, every match against India does but we fought well in the South Africa match and that fight gave us much-needed rhythm,” said Zaman.

Zaman also said the impact of his injury was not as severe as first feared.

“I was batting well in the nets and had the team needed me before I would have played but my aim is to always score runs that help the team win.”

Bangladesh became the first team to be eliminated after six losses in seven games.

“At this moment we have to perform together in all three departments. It’s not any individual that can win us games,” said captain Shakib Al Hasan.

His team still have two games to play in the round-robin stage against Sri Lanka in New Delhi on November 6 and against Australia in Pune five days later.

“We need collective performances. Two more matches hopefully we can bounce back,” said Shakib, playing in his fourth World Cup.

“The fans supported us and are behind us whether we are doing well or not. We have to give something back to them so they can smile.”

READ: Shaheen Afridi becomes fastest pacer to 100 ODI wickets

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has heavily criticized the Pakistan cricket team after an upset loss at the hands of Afghanistan in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.

While talking to ‘The Pavilion,’ Wasim Akram slammed the Greenshirts for their below-par performance in the field, owing to their substandard fitness levels.

“It was embarrassing today, look at the fielding, and the fitness levels. We’ve been screaming for the last 3 weeks that these players haven’t undergone a fitness test in the last two years,” said Wasim Akram.

He further emphasized the significance of being physically fit to perform well in the field.

“Fielding is all about fitness and that’s where we are lacking. Now we have reached that same position, where we will pray for ifs and buts to happen,” he further added.

Legendary pacer @wasimakramlive lashes out at the Pakistan cricket team following their upset defeat against Afghanistan.#ASportsHD #ARYZAP #ThePavilion #CWC23 #ShoaibMalik #MoinKhan #FakhreAlam #MisbahUlHaq #PAKvAFG pic.twitter.com/RZSaVDSXIS

— ASports (@asportstvpk) October 23, 2023

Afghanistan defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the ICC World Cup 2023 match yesterday.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah scored sensible half-centuries after Noor Ahmad’s 3/49 led Afghanistan to upset Pakistan.

The eight-wicket victory marked Afghanistan’s first over Pakistan in ODIs. The two sides had come face to face on seven occasions in the 50-over format.

Set to chase 283, Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided a solid start to the team. The pair put together a century-plus stand as both scored half-centuries before Usama Mir dismissed Gurbaz in the 22nd over.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim stood his ground firm and was involved in another anchoring partnership when he added 60 runs for the second wicket with Rahmat Shah before Hasan Ali got rid of him in the 34th over.

He top-scored for Afghanistan with 87 in 113 balls, hitting 10 boundaries.

Shah was then joined by his skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and the duo knitted a sensible 96-run partnership to steer Afghanistan to a historic victory with an over to spare.

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Rahmat Shah scored an unbeaten 77 off 84 deliveries, laced up with five boundaries and two sixes while Shahidi scored 48 not out in 45 balls with the help of four boundaries.

For Pakistan, only Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali could pick up a wicket each while the rest of their bowlers went wicketless against Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, in the first innings Pakistan opening batters Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq justified their captain’s decision to bat first by putting up a 56-run partnership.

Azmatullah Omarzai gave the first breakthrough to Afghanistan by sending Imam-ul-Haq back ending his brief innings of 17 off 22.

Babar Azam then joined Abdullah Shafique and piled up 54 runs for the second wicket, before Noor Ahmad dismissed the latter to claim his first World Cup wicket.

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Shafique scored 56 off 75, knitted with five boundaries and two sixes.

Babar Azam played a cautious 74-run knock from 92 deliveries, with the help of four boundaries and one six, before falling to Noor Ahmad.

Iftikhar Ahmed then joined Shadab Khan at a total of 206 in the 42nd over and attacked Afghanistan bowlers with a blistering innings of 42 off 27, featuring two boundaries and four sixes.

Together they added 73 runs off 45 balls to lift Pakistan’s total to 282, before falling in the final over.

Noor Ahmad returned with figures of 3-49 for Afghanistan, while Naveen-ul-Haq picked two wickets.

The sensational eight-wicket victory ascended Afghanistan to sixth in the ICC World Cup 2023 standings while Pakistan managed to hold on to their fifth position.

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CHENNAI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah scored sensible half-centuries after Noor Ahmed’s 3/49 led Afghanistan to upset Pakistan by eight wickets in the ICC World Cup 2023.

The eight-wicket victory marked Afghanistan’s first over Pakistan in ODIs. The two sides had come face to face on seven occasions in the 50-over format.

Set to chase 283, Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided a solid start to the team as the pair put together a century-plus stand as both scored half-centuries.

The duo dominated Pakistan bowlers before Usama Mir got the much-needed breakthrough for his side by dismissing Gurbaz in the 22nd over.

Gurbaz scored 65 off 53 deliveries with the help of nine boundaries and a six.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim stood his ground firm and was involved in another anchoring partnership when he added 60 runs for the second wicket with Rahmat Shah before Hasan Ali got rid of him in the 34th over.

He top-scored for Afghanistan with 87 in 113 balls, hitting 10 boundaries.

Shah was then joined by his skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and the duo knitted a sensible 96-run partnership to steer Afghanistan to a historic victory with an over to spare.

Rahmat Shah scored an unbeaten 77 off 84 deliveries, laced up with five boundaries and two sixes while Shahidi scored 48 not out in 45 balls with the help of four boundaries.

For Pakistan, only Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali could pick up a wicket each while the rest of their bowlers went wicketless.

The sensational eight-wicket victory ascended Afghanistan to sixth in the ICC World Cup 2023 standings while Pakistan managed to hold on to their fifth position.

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Pakistan opening batters Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq justified their captain’s decision to bat first by putting up a 56-run partnership.

Azmatullah Omarzai gave the first breakthrough to Afghanistan by sending Imam-ul-Haq back ending his brief innings of 17 off 22.

Babar Azam then joined Abdullah Shafique and piled up 54 runs for the second wicket, before Noor Ahmed dismissed the latter to claim his first World Cup wicket.

Shafique scored 56 off 75, knitted with five boundaries and two sixes.

Mohammad Rizwan also fell prey to Noor Ahmed in the next over at a total of 120.

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Babar Azam scored an anchoring half-century, his 30th in the format, and raised two 43-run partnerships with Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan, before becoming the third victim of Noor Ahmed.

Azam played a cautious 74-run knock from 92 deliveries, with the help of four boundaries and one six.

Iftikhar Ahmed joined Shadab Khan at a total of 206 in the 42nd over and attacked Afghanistan bowlers with a blistering innings of 42 off 27, featuring two boundaries and four sixes.

Meanwhile, Shadab Khan scored 40 off 38 with the help of one four and a six.

Together they added 73 runs off 45 balls to lift Pakistan’s total to 282, before falling in the final over.

Noor Ahmed returned with figures of 3-49, while Naveen-ul-Haq picked two wickets.

READ: Brydon Carse replaces injured Reece Topley in England ICC World Cup 2023 squad

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam managed to hold on to his number-one position in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Babar, who scored an anchoring half-century against arch-rivals India on Saturday, got the reward for his performance as he kept India’s batting prodigy Shubman Gill at bay.

The right-handed Indian batter is ranked second with 818 rating points, in touching distance with Babar Azam, who occupies the top position with 836 points.

Meanwhile, Pakistan opening batters Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq, who were recently among the Top 10 batters, are now ranked 13th and 10th respectively.

In-form South African opener Quinton de Kock, who scored back-to-back centuries in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 pipped his teammate Rassie van der Dussen to claim the third position in the rankings.

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Indian captain Rohit Sharma made a big leap of five places to sixth after amassing 131 runs against Afghanistan then backing it up with an imperious 86 from 63 balls against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz — jumping 19 spots to 18th — and Netherlands captain Scott Edwards — climbing 16 places to 27th — made notable surges in the batting rankings.

In the ICC ODI bowling rankings, however, experienced New Zealand pacer Trent Boult is in touching distance to occupy the top spot following a destructive spell against Bangladesh.

He is a mere one rating point behind leader Josh Hazlewood after ascending a place in the latest update.

Boult, who returned figures of 2/45 against Bangladesh after also dismissing Towhid Hridoy, also completed 200 wickets in ODIs.

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan climbs to fourth in bowling rankings while South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj jumps seven spots to equal fifth alongside Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

READ: Latham, Phillips lift New Zealand to set Afghanistan chase 289

BENGALURU: Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam celebrated his 29th birthday with teammates ahead of their ICC World Cup 2023 fixture against Australia, scheduled on October 20.

Babar Azam-led Pakistan’s contingent reached here on Sunday evening via a chartered flight from Ahmedabad.

Briefly, after landing at Kempegowda International Airport, the team was taken to a local hotel, where the birthday celebrations of the star batter began.

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Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared footage of Babar Azam’s birthday celebration.

In the video, the Pakistan captain can be seen cutting a customized cake on his 29th birthday, accompanied by his teammates and the hotel staff.

“Celebrating our skipper [Babar Azam’s] birthday at the team hotel in Bengaluru,” wrote PCB.

Celebrating our skipper @babarazam258's birthday at the team hotel in Bengaluru 🎂✨#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/D8Lrfet5in

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 15, 2023

For the unversed, this was Babar’s second straight birthday, which fell during an ICC tournament.

He celebrated his 28th birthday on the ICC Captains’ Day ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022.

Following a joint press conference ahead of the commencement of the mega event, all teams’ skippers celebrated the Pakistan captain’s birthday.

Babar was having a conversation with Scotland captain Richie Berrington when Australia’s Aaron Finch surprised him with the birthday cake.

Meanwhile, Babar-led Pakistan, which succumbed to a seven-wicket thrashing against India, next face five-time champions Australia on Friday.

The former champions currently sit fourth in the ICC World Cup 2023 standings with four points in three matches while Australia are ninth.

Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.

Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan

Pakistan’s remaining ICC World Cup 2023 fixtures

• October 20 – vs Australia in Bengaluru
• October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
• October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai
• October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
• November 4 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
• November 11 – vs England in Kolkata

The day matches will start at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures, starting at 01:30 pm (PST).

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AHMEDABAD: India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya commented on Pakistan’s dismal performance with the bat against arch-rivals India on Saturday, asserting that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were timid amid their partnership.

Pakistan, at one stage, were looking in a strong position to amass the 300-run mark. The tide changed when skipper Babar Azam was dismissed for 50 by India pacer Mohammed Siraj.

It sparked a collapse and the side were dismissed for just 191.

Hardik Pandya said he knew India was in the game as Pakistan captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan settled the side with a timid batting approach.

“Babar [Azam] and [Mohammad] Rizwan were timid,” Hardik Pandya said. “They didn’t take any chances, which is why we thought we were always in the game. There wasn’t much in the pitch for the bowlers. They didn’t try going for shots or attack us, which is why we were able to bowl dot balls.

“I have seen that if two players bat in the same way, if one gets out, then it opens up a lot of doors.”

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Set to chase a modest 192, India comfortably knocked off the winning runs for the loss of just three wickets and 117 balls to spare.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma gave his side a flying start despite his opening partner Shubman Gill (16) perished cheaply in the third over with just 26 runs on the board.

Rohit then put together a one-sided 56-run partnership with Virat Kohli, who could score a mere 16 before falling victim to Hasan Ali in the 10th over.

Meanwhile, Kohli’s dismissal did not hurt India much as Rohit continued his onslaught and took India past the 150-run mark in 21 overs.

He, however, remained unlucky to not be able to convert his dominant knock into his eighth World Cup ton as he finally fell in the 22nd over.

Rohit Sharma top-scored for India with a brisk 63-ball 86 which featured six boundaries and as many sixes.

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Shreyas Iyer took the reigns of India’s pursuit after Rohit’s dismissal and knitted a match-winning 36-run partnership with KL Rahul, who scored 19 not out.

Iyer remained a notable contributor in India’s pursuit with an unbeaten half-century. His 62-ball 53 featured three boundaries and two sixes.

For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged two wickets while Hasan Ali made one scalp.

READ: Gurbaz, Ikram power Afghanistan to 284 against holders England