In the ongoing ICC World Cup, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets thanks to an outstanding all-around performance at Eden gardens in Kolkata. Pakistan was also kept alive in the semifinal race by the result. The Pakistani pace batteries, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, initially stunned the Bangladeshi batsmen. The same amount of progress was achieved by Mohammad Wasim Jr. when Bangladesh, who chose to bat first, was dismissed for 204 in 45.1 overs. Haris Rauf returned with two wickets, while Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Shaheen Shah Afridi each claimed three wickets. Iftikhar Ahmed and Usama Mir, two spinners, each took a wicket.
The 205-run chase was then off to a great start for Pakistan thanks to Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman. Together, they scored 128 runs in the first stand, and then Mehidy Hasan Miraj trapped Shafique for 68(69) runs. In the next over, he dismissed Fakhar Zaman for 81(74) and Babar Azam for 9(16). Pakistan finished the run chase in 32.3 overs, led home by Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed. With a score of 26(21), Rizwan made a triumphant return, while Iftikhar added a 15-ball 17.