Pakistan sink Bangladesh in rain-hit second one-day by AFP

---

Ground:	Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad
Scorecard:	Pakistan v Bangladesh
Player:	Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Salman Butt, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi
Event:	Bangladesh in Pakistan 2007/08

---

DateLine: 12th April 2008

 

Pakistan relied on an entertaining half-century by Salman Butt to beat Bangladesh by seven wickets on Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-hit second day-night international on Friday.

 

The left-handed opener cracked a 72-ball 76 to help Pakistan reach 160-3 with 10 balls to spare, chasing a revised target of 158 in 25 overs after two hours play was lost due to rain which soaked the ground at Iqbal Stadium.

 

The hosts now lead the five-match series 2-0. The third match will be played in Lahore on Sunday.

 

Bangladesh owed their total to a chancy 60 by Tamim Iqbal and a career-best unbeaten 58 by Mahmudullah Riad when rain curtailed their innings to 225-8 in 48.2 overs.

 

The 23-year-old Butt went on a rampage right from the outset, hitting a brisk 46 for the opening wicket with Nasir Jamshed (21) and added a further 73 for the third wicket with Mohammad Yousuf who made 32 not out.

 

Butt and Yousuf ensured Pakistan did not waste a good start after they lost Jamshed and Younis Khan (13) in quick succession.

 

Butt hit nine boundaries and a six before he was run out with just seven needed to win.

 

Yousuf, when 19, also completed 9,000 one-day runs. He is only the second Pakistani batsmen behind now retired Inzamam-ul-Haq (11,739 in 378 matches) to achieve the feat.

 

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said the revised target was not easy.

 

"When the rain came and revised the target we thought it's a run-a-ball to chase and we needed a good start. Luckily we got that and won," said Malik.

 

"It was a flat pitch but we bowled well and that was the key."

 

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful said his team had to improve.

 

"We didn't play well," said Ashraful. "We need to get better with each match and I hope we come good in the third match."

 

Earlier, Bangladesh's innings was propped up by Mahmudullah who hit six boundaries during his 74-ball knock. He beat his previous highest score of 49 not out made against Ireland at Dhaka last month.

 

Mahmudullah shared a 75-run seventh wicket stand with Dhiman Ghosh (27) after the tourists were restricted to 141-6 in the 34th over.

 

Bangladesh, who elected to bat after winning the toss, lost opener Shahriar Nafees (four) to Sohail Tanveer before Umar Gul picked his 50th wicket in one-day internationals when he trapped Aftab Ahmed leg-before for one.

 

Ashraful (22) opened his scoring with a boundary off Gul to overhaul Habibul Bashar's 2,168 runs in 111 matches -- the most runs by a Bangladeshi batsmen in one-day internationals.

 

Ashraful, who now has 2,188 runs, took four matches more than Bashar's 111.

 

He hit three boundaries in one Gul over before he was trapped leg-before by Rao Iftikhar in the 16th over.

 

It was Iqbal, dropped on 20 off Gul by Jamshed at square-leg, who lifted the tempo by hitting the unlucky bowler for two boundaries to reach his fifth one-day 50 off 69 deliveries.

 

His fighting knock came to an end when he holed out to Afridi at long-off where Gul took a head high catch. He hit 10 boundaries during a 78-ball knock.

 

Ferhad Reza hit two boundaries and a six in his brisk 34-ball 26 before Mahmudullah and Ghosh helped the tourists across the 200-mark.

 

Leg-spinner Shahid Afridi picked 3-33 while Tanveer and Rao Iftikhar grabbed two wickets apiece.

(Article: Copyright © 2008 AFP)