Afridi sparkles as Pak beat Bangladesh in World T20 battle opener

Kolkata, Mar.16 : Shahid Afridi delivered a glittering all-round execution as Pakistan traveled to a 55-run win over Bangladesh in their opening gathering match of the World T20 here at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

Selecting to bat to start with, Pakistan batsmen appeared to be getting it done from the begin, with Mohammad Hafeez (64 off 42 balls) and Ahmed Shehzad (52 off 39 balls) sharing a gigantic organization of 95 keeps running for the second wicket.

Captain Afridi fell only one run shy of a half-century as he crushed brisk flame 49 off only 19 balls to quicken his side’s innings.

In answer, Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal (24) and Sabbir Rahman (25) gave an underlying push to their side before the twosome were released by Afridi.

In the mean time, Shakib Al Hasan’s energetic 50-run thump went futile as Bangladesh were confined to 146-6 inside of their stipulated 20 overs.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Amir and Afridi packed away two wickets each while Mohammad Irfan and Imad Wasim likewise ate up two wickets.

Afridi was decreed `man of the match` for his huge commitment with bat and ball.

Pakistan will now play their next match against furious opponents and hosts India at the same venue on Saturday.

The ICC had before moved Pakistan’s gathering match against India to Kolkata because of security worries in Dharamsala.