Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Asia Cup 2018: Pakistan face Tigers in the virtual Semifinal
Both Bangladesh and Pakistan will look to seal last available berth for tournaments final when they go up against each other in the sixth fixture of the Super Four stage at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, September 26. Both teams are coming on the back of one win, and one defeat in Super4 Stage and are lying on the verge of 2018 Final. The winner of the virtual semifinal will ultimately face India on September 28 in hope to get their hands on the reputed trophy.
Pakistan has a clear 31-4 advantage over Bangladesh when it comes to head-to-head record. However In their most recent ODI series Bangladesh completely outplayed Pakistan by a fascinating 3-0 margin, and In the final game of the three-match series played at Dhaka in 2015 Asked to bowl first, Bangladesh restricted Pakistan at 250 and then raced away to target with 10 overs to spare.
Bangladesh
Tigers will undoubtedly take a lot of confidence from their recent record against Pakistan while an emphatic win in their earlier encounter against Afghanistan will work as a confidence booster.
Batting: Mushfiqur Rahim has scored the most runs for Bangladesh in the tournament and leading with 198 runs in three matches. The wicketkeeper-batsman is going to be the key figure in this batting line-up. While Imrul Kayes and Mahmudullah both scored 70+ in the previous fixture against Afghanistan and the team will want them to continue from where they had left off.
Bowling: When it comes to bowling All-rounder Shakib al Hasan will have a significant role to play. He is amongst the tournament's leading wicket-takers with seven wickets in four matches, and the pitch at this ground should suit his style of bowling. While Mustafizur Rahman and skipper Mashrafe Mortaza who claimed two scalps apiece against Afghanistan are two other bowlers in the side with the potential to turn the game on their own.
Expected Playing XI: Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Mehidy Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Nazmul Islam, Liton Das, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Imrul Kayes and Mahmudullah.
Pakistan
Pakistan failed to pose any threat to the Indians and suffered humiliating defeats against them in both Asia Cup fixtures. While their win against Afghanistan was also not convincing. They have been poor as a fielding unit throughout the tournament and have dropped far too many catches. They will need to improve in that department if they are to win this do-or-die encounter.
Batting: Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam have been the most consistent batsmen for Pakistan in this Asia Cup. Shoaib has now hit two fifties in two games, including the gritty 78 he scored against India on Sunday and his experience has been a plus factor for them. While Babar is their second best batsman in the tournament with 155 runs and the skipper will need these two to score big against the Tigers. Except them, the team will bank on their openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq to take them off to a good start.
Bowling: Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz have been pretty economical so far and Pakistan will need these two bowlers to hurt Bangladesh during the middle phase of their innings. While Hasan Ali and Mohammad Amir will be backed by skipper Sarfraz to make the early strikes during the first powerplay.
Expected Playing XI: Sarfraz Ahmed (C), Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik.
In the end, both teams find themselves in a do-or-die situation, as a loss here will end their Asia Cup hopes while the winner will get chance to put hands on Asian Cricket Trophy. So one may expect both teams to come out blazing in order to keep their Asia Cup trophy hopes alive.