NEW DELHI: Pakistan's batters finally delivered, securing a crucial seven-wicket victory over Canada in their must-win Group A match, giving their
T20 World Cup
campaign a significant boost on Tuesday.
Opting to bowl first, Pakistan's bowlers put on a cohesive performance, restricting Canada to a modest total of 106/7.
In the chase, openers
Mohammad Rizwan
and captain
Babar Azam
guided Pakistan to victory with 15 balls to spare, sharing a 63-run partnership for the second wicket to lay the foundation for the win.
Babar contributed a run-a-ball 33, including one six and a four, while Rizwan anchored the modest chase once again, remaining unbeaten on 53 off 53 deliveries, with two fours and a six.
Pakistan initially struggled in the powerplay, crawling to 28 for 1 as the Canadian seamers performed admirably. However, scoring became easier when Canada's spinners were introduced, and Babar and Rizwan's vast experience helped them navigate the equation through deft rotation of the strike and punishing loose deliveries.
Earlier, Aaron Johnson's 52 was the lone bright spot for Canada, as Pakistan's inspired bowling restricted their opponents to 106 for 7. On a two-paced wicket with occasional uneven bounce, Johnson fought a solitary battle for Canada, hitting four sixes and four fours in his 44-ball 52.
Mohammad Amir
was the standout bowler with figures of 4-0-13-2, while Haris Rauf claimed 2/26, and Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/21) and Naseem Shah (1/24) recovered well after wayward starts.
Johnson, the only Canadian batter to trouble the Pakistani bowlers, did not hesitate to attack at every opportunity, particularly with his hits down the ground. However, shortly after completing his half-century, Johnson was cleaned up by a Naseem Shah delivery. Skipper Saad Bin Zafar (10) and Kaleem Sana (13) helped Canada surpass the 100-run mark, giving their bowlers a total to defend.
Pakistan's strike bowler Shaheen began with two full tosses on the pads, which Johnson dispatched for boundaries. Amir claimed Pakistan's first success, cleaning up Navneet Dhaliwal off the final delivery of his over.
Shaheen returned with a change of ends to dismiss Pargat Singh (2), caught by Fakhar Zaman, as Pakistan regained control by the end of the powerplay.
Imad Wasim's direct hit from cover ran out Nicholas Kirton (1) at the non-striker's end, adding to the pressure on Johnson.
Haris Rauf's double-wicket 10th over, in which he dismissed Shreyas Movva (2) and Ravinderpal Singh (0), left Canada reeling at 54 for five while also bringing up his 100 T20I wickets.
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