New Delhi: In a historic moment for the continental tournament, Pakistan's star bowlers, including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah, achieved a remarkable feat by taking all ten Indian wickets at the Pallekele Stadium on Saturday. The arch-rivals were set to clash in a thrilling encounter, but incessant rains forced the match to be abandoned, resulting in a shared point for both teams.
Before the rain interruption, both teams displayed sensational performances in the first innings. Pakistan, led by captain Babar Azam, orchestrated a remarkable bowling effort, restricting India to a mere total of 266 runs. This marked the first instance in the history of the continental tournament where a team's pacers claimed all the wickets. Pakistan's pace sensation, Shaheen Shah Afridi, wreaked havoc on the Indian batting lineup, dismissing Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for just 11 and four runs, respectively. In the latter part of the innings, Afridi secured two more wickets, dismissing Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, ultimately achieving a four-wicket haul. He conceded only 35 runs in the ten overs he bowled, leaving the Indian batsmen struggling for answers.
Haris Rauf, who initially faced difficulties in taking wickets, ended up with a three-wicket haul, giving away 58 runs in his nine overs. Naseem Shah, too, had a challenging start but managed to claim three wickets in the latter part of the innings, maintaining his record of taking at least one wicket in every 50-over match since his international debut in August the previous year. Despite the match being abandoned due to rain, Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, secured three points and qualified for the Super 4s after playing two matches. They earned full points by defeating Nepal in their tournament opener. Meanwhile, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team obtained only one point and must defeat Nepal in their next group stage match to qualify for the Super 4s.
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