Pakistan openers Salman Butt and Nasir Jamshed produced an unbroken century partnership to set up a comprehensive 10-wicket win over Bangladesh in the final Asia Cup super league match on Friday. Butt scored 56 and Jamshed reached 52 as the two left-handers easily overtook the Bangladesh total of 115 in only 19.4 overs.
Both teams had already been eliminated from the tournament with Sunday's final featuring India against Sri Lanka. Eighteen-year-old Jamshed reached his fourth international one-day half-century in his ninth match from 52 balls with five fours and two sixes in the 18th over. Butt's fifty came from 60 balls with nine boundaries.
Opening bowler Abdur Rauf took the first three wickets to spark a Bangladesh batting collapse at the National Stadium. Rauf captured three for 24 as Bangladesh were dismissed in 38.2 overs in overcast conditions assisting the pace bowlers.
It was the lowest total of the tournament after Hong Kong's 118 in the preliminary round. Bangladesh lost Nazimuddin for three in the second over when he miscued a pull and top-edged to Shoaib Malik in the covers. Tamim Iqbal (26) and captain Mohammad Ashraful (14) combined for the only decent partnership of the innings, adding 41 for the second wicket.
Bangladesh then lost three wickets in eight balls as they slumped from 47 for one to 49 for four. Mohammad Ashraful pulled Rauf for a six over mid-wicket but then lobbed the next ball to Misbahul-ul-Haq in the gully. Alok Kapali struck 17 from 27 balls with four boundaries before he succumbed to Iftikhar while Mushfiqur Rahim was run out for 15.
Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said he was disappointed at not making the final but added the team were making progress. "It was a complete performance from us today and we just need to show this same consistency regularly," Malik told reporters.
Bangladesh coach, Jamie Siddons described his team's batting as "shocking". "I have no explanation for what happened today. Maybe they thought they were already on a flight home," he said. "But this performance is similar to what happened to us at Queenstown in December when New Zealand knocked off 93 runs in six overs."
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