Pakistan's do-or-die encounter with Bangladesh

For all their One-Day International (ODI) exploits over the past year, Bangladesh have not exactly set the world on fire in the shortest format of the game, reports the India.

 

Pakistan have not been that great either, and now things reach a full circle of sorts. Pakistan are plotting a revamp in their top order while their bowling order, spearheaded by the mercurial Mohammed Amir can now run through any side on their day. Momentum though, is firmly with the hosts, who come into the game after humbling the reigning world champions.

 

It won’t be any surprise if another green top is laid out at Dhaka. Batters have struggled to find their feet all tournament. Even the ones who did, showed that one need to bide his time at the crease, see off the threat in the powerplay overs before playing their shots. 

 

That has been the only batting formula that has worked in this tournament so far. With Pakistan struggling to stitch their top order woes, a safe approach would serve them well going into the game.

 

Small things end up making a big difference in a tournament  like this, especially in a match where the stakes are sky-high. That could well turn out to be young sensation Mustafizur Rahman sitting out for the rest of the tournament. The young pacer has been a revelation and is as pivotal to the Bangladeshi hopes with the ball as Amir is to Pakistan.

 

The winner of the contest will be in pole position to grab a spot in the finals although it must be said that Pakistan still have another game on their hands— against Sri Lanka— before the round-robin stages come to a close. The aforementioned Pakistan batting remains a problem. They heavily rely on the likes of Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal and the hard-hitting lower middle-order comprising of Shahid Afridi and Sarfraz Ahmed to deliver the goods.

 

While the world has been reveling in Amir’s exploits, the support cast’s mediocrity has gone unnoticed. Mohammed Sami and even the usually reliable Wahab Riaz has gone for runs aplenty. The statuesque Mohammad Irfan showed sings of coming back to from against United Arab Emirates (UAE) after struggling against India.

 

Tamim Iqbal was dropped going into the tournament but Bangladesh’s top order came back to form in the last game. Tamim’s recall couldn’t have come at a better time for the team. Imrul Kayes may end up missing out if Tamim makes his way back in the team.

 

Sabbir Rahman’s fantastic run of form in this calendar year has papered over cracks in the middle order. Shakib al Hasan has been struggling to put bat on ball in recent times and this is costing the team. The likes of Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim need to settle in before they play their shots.

 

This is where Shakib’s expertise would come in handy but the lack of runs in the middle overs is costing the side. Despite getting off to a good start against UAE, the side collapsed in the final overs. A tougher opposition would have made them pay. Prior to Bangladesh’s win last year, Pakistan have won each of the seven contests between the two. Pakistan, for whatever reasons have always done well in do-or-die encounters in the past. Expect things to be no different here.