By Kavita Mistry 
Pakistan booked their place in the Asia Cup summit clash against India with a hard-fought 11-run victory over Bangladesh in their Super Fours clash here on Thursday.
Defending a modest 135 for eight, Pakistan’s bowlers produced a disciplined effort to restrict Bangladesh to 124 for nine. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi led from the front with 3/17, while Haris Rauf impressed with 3/33 in the back-end. Saim Ayub (2/16) and Mohammad Nawaz (1/14) added crucial strikes to complete Pakistan’s disciplined effort.
Bangladesh, who had Pakistan tottering at 71 for six in the 14th over after opting to bowl, will regret letting the game slip with sloppy fielding and dropped catches.
The total might not be as bad as it looks due to the nature of the track where stroke making is difficult. Senior Bangladesh bowlers Mustafizur Rahaman (1/33 in 4 overs), Taskin Ahmed (3/28 in 4 overs) and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain (2/18 in 4 overs) made full use of a tacky turner as none of the top-order Pakistan batters had a clue as to how to construct an innings.
Mohammed Haris (31 off 23 balls), their best batter in the tournament, once again kept them in the fight, with a plucky knock while Shaheen Shah Afridi (19) with a couple of sixes and a lucky Mohammed Nawaz (25 off 15 balls) also did their bit after a total of even 100 looked improbable.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 135/8 in 20 overs (Mohammad Haris 31, Mohammad Nawaz 25; Taskin Ahmed 3/28, Rishad Hossain 2/18, Mahedi Hasan 2/28) beat Bangladesh 124/9 in 20 overs (Saif Hassan 18, Shamim Hossain 30, Rishad Hossain 16 not out; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3/17, Saim Ayub 2/16, Haris Rauf 3/33) by 11 runs.