Pakistan missed out on the race for the World Cup semi-finals on Friday despite ending the campaign with a thumping 94-run victory against Bangladesh.
The situation demanded Sarfaraz Ahmed and Co. to break their One-Day International record going by margin of victory - needing to beat Bangaldesh by 300 runs or more - if they were to pip New Zealand and seal a top four spot on the table.
But they fell short by a distance as they could only muster a total of 315 for nine after major contributions from opener Imam-ul-Haq (100) and Babar Azam (96) at the top before a stunning cameo from Imad Wasim ensured they went past the 300-run mark.
In reply, Bangladesh struggled to build momentum early on during the chase until Shakib Al Hasan’s (64) seventh fifty of the tournament revived their chances.
The feat saw Shakib equal Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most fifties at the 2003 tournament and made him the highest run-getter at the ongoing World Cup.
But the failure in building any substantial partnerships meant that the Tigers were bundled out for 221 in the 45th over as Player of the match Shaheen Afridi wreaked havoc with figures of 6/35.
Although Pakistan recorded their fourth consecutive victory, a poor start to the World Cup meant their journey came to an end.
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