Bangladesh cruised to a six-wicket win over the Netherlands Monday which takes them to the brink of the World Cup quarter-finals as Pakistan looked to seal their own passage.
Co-hosts Bangladesh are now in fourth place in Group B on six points, with the top four teams qualifying for the last eight and know a win over South Africa on Saturday will take them through.
The Dutch won the toss in Chittagong and opted to bat but slumped to 160 all out in 46.2 overs despite 53 not out from the dangerous Ryan ten Doeschate.
Abdur Razzak picked up 3-29 in 10 overs, while fellow spinners skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Suhrawadi Shuvo claimed one wicket apiece. In a reckless display of running between the wickets, the Netherlands lost four wickets to run outs.
Untroubled Bangladesh surpassed the target in the 42nd over with left-handed Imrul Kayes making 73 not out. Kayes put on 92 for the second wicket with Junaid Siddique (35) after opening partner Tamim Iqbal was bowled by Mudassar Bukhari off the fourth ball of the innings without scoring.
"It was a nervous win because we had to win to stay in the contest. I thought the boys showed their character and bowled in really good areas and kept the pressure on," said Shakib, who said qualification was still in the Tigers' hands.
If the West Indies beat England on Thursday in Chennai, Bangladesh will qualify regardless of the outcome of the South Africa match. Dutch skipper Peter Borren admitted his team, with five defeats in five games, had let themselves down.
"In the end we played some pretty bad cricket with four run-outs. I think the wicket was a challenge to bat on but 160 was not enough and we let ourselves down."
No team from Group B has yet qualified for the knockout round. Bangladesh, India, West Indies, South Africa and England are all in the mix, with one Test team certain to miss out.
But Group A is a different story with New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Australia already through to the quarter-finals and Pakistan almost certain to join them.
Pakistan, keen to put the Akmal brothers soap opera behind them, lost the toss at Pallekele on Monday but had Zimbabwe in deep trouble at 96-5 when rain stopped play.
Ever since Kamran put in a blundering performance behind the stumps in the 110-run defeat to New Zealand last Tuesday, it had been widely expected that younger brother Umar would take the gloves for Monday's match.
Umar was then accused of feigning a finger injury to save his brother's job. Despite assurances they would both play, Umar was missing from the Pakistan line-up.
Meanwhile, in-form South African batsman AB de Villiers has undergone a scan on a left thigh injury ahead of Tuesday's match against Ireland at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
South Africa coach Corrie van Zyl said Monday the injury was not "major". "We are waiting for the doctor's report," he said.
