We are now slowly heading towards the business end of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. 30 league games have already been played, and just 14 more remain. South Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand have firmly established themselves in the top four for now. Pakistan still has a slight chance of making it to knock out stages.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, who were one of the tournament favorites, are in dire straits. They have lost four games in a row – the first time in their World Cup history – and have slipped to sixth place in the points table. What’s worse, their net run rate stands at a poor -0.387. They will now have to win each of their last three games with healthy margins and hope other results go their way if they want to sneak into the semis.
Pakistan’s next clash is against Bangladesh, who themselves have had an immensely forgettable campaign. They have just been thumped by Netherlands in Kolkata – their fifth straight defeat in the competition – and will be feeling down in the dumps.
THE VENUE FOR PAKISTAN-BANGLADESH GAME
The pitch is one of the better batting surfaces in the country, it also offers quite a lot of help for the spinners as the match goes on.
Average 1st Innings Score: 244
Average 2nd Innings Score: 227
TEAM PREVIEW
PAKISTAN
Pakistan are coming off a heartbreaking one-wicket loss to South Africa in Chennai. Defending a target of 271 on a pitch that had spice, Pakistan’s seamers bowled with a lot of heart and were in the game right till the end. Unfortunately for them, South Africa managed to hold their nerves and won with 16 balls still remaining.
This loss means Pakistan have now lost four games in a row in the competition. The last game they won was against Sri Lanka on October 10, which now feels like an eternity ago.
If they were being honest with themselves, Pakistan have only themselves to be blame for the situation they find themselves in. Their batting has been inconsistent, and their bowling attack has let them down on most occasions.
Captain Babar Azam will have to lead from the front. The star batter has scored three fifties so far in the competition but hasn’t looked his usual self. However, he slowly seems to be getting there. We feel Babar will play a big knock in this game for Pakistan.
Mohammad Rizwan, with 333 runs in 6 innings, has been the leading run-getter for the team. However, he has failed to get a big one in the last three matches and needs to get his act together for this must-win match.
One of the positives from the last match for Pakistan was the return to form of Shaheen Afridi. His spell of 3-45 from 10 overs helped Pakistan stay alive in the contest till the very end, and he is likely to make things difficult for Bangladesh’s batters.
Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Haris Rauf were also impressive in that match against South Africa. Bangladesh’s batting unit is down on confidence right now, and this Pakistani pace attack might just feast on them here.
EXPECTED XI OF PAKISTAN v BANGLADESH
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf
BANGLADESH
This has been a World Cup to forget for Bangladesh. After starting their campaign with a win against Bangladesh, they have lost five matches on the trot. In their previous game, they were bowled out for just 142 while chasing a target of 230 against Netherlands at the Eden Gardens. That loss has now pushed Bangladesh to 9th place on the table with a miserable net run rate of -1.338. They still have three games left to end the tournament on a high, but it will be difficult for them to pick themselves up from this low.
Bangladesh’s batting just hasn’t clicked. A lot was expected from the likes of Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, and captain Shakib Al Hasan, but they just haven’t been able to step up in the big moments.
Shakib will be eager to leave a mark after a string of failures. His average of 43.28 against Pakistan in ODIs will perhaps give him confidence to finally break the shackles.
Mahmudullah has been their most consistent batter and is the only one to have scored a hundred in this competition for Bangladesh. However, he bats way too low down the order and is often left batting with the tail.
Among the bowlers, Shoriful Islam (8 wickets in 6 innings at an economy of 6.50) has stood out. It’s the spinners, though, who have been consistent. Shakib Al Hasan (7 wickets), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (6 wickets), and Mahedi Hasan (6 wickets) have all done a fantastic job. They have kept things tight and managed to snare wickets regularly. On this pitch, these three spinners, along with Mustafizur Rahman, will be quite a handful against the Pakistani batting unit.
EXPECTED XI OF BANGLADESH v PAKISTAN
Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam
PREDICTION FOR THE GAME
Most recently, Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in the Asia Cup in September. While Pakistan may have lost four matches on the trot, they are still a really dangerous team on their day.