PAK vs BAN Dream11 prediction: 3 differentials you can pick in today’s World Cup 2023 match – Oct 31, 2023
Pakistan and Bangladesh face off in the 31st match of the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup on Tuesday, October 31, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Both teams are in dire straits right now, and while Bangladesh has been officially knocked out of the tournament, Pakistan is still in contention with a mathematical chance if they win all their remaining matches along with a few other results going their way.
Even if that doesn't happen, with Champions Trophy qualification on the line for sides like Bangladesh, no game will be a dead rubber at this World Cup, and this should be a tightly contested game.
Pakistan comfortably dispatched Bangladesh the last time the two teams met at the Asia Cup, but it'll be interesting to see if they can do so again without some of their key players.
Let's now look at three differentials you can select for your Dream11 teams.
#3 Usama Mir (PAK)
Shadab Khan's injury at the start of Pakistan's bowling innings rendered him unfit to take the field again, and Usama Mir was declared as his concussion substitute, the first in World Cup history. The leg-spinner did a decent job and kept Pakistan in the game, picking up the crucial wickets of Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram.
He's likely to retain his place in the team, and on what should be a sluggish Eden Gardens wicket, he can spin a web around the Bangladesh batters. Usama Mir is also a capable batter and can strike some lusty blows if required in the death overs.
He's also a form player and tends to perform well in patches, and now that he has some momentum on his side, this could well be the match he bowls with good rhythm. A Pakistan bowler against a fragile Bangladesh batting lineup with low ownership, he certainly fits the bill to be a Dream11 differential.
#2 Najmul Hossain Shanto (BAN)
The Bangladesh vice-captain was touted to have a solid World Cup, especially after the good form he showed in the early stages of the Asia Cup before an injury ruled him out of the rest of that tournament.
He started this World Cup strongly, scoring a half-century in Bangladesh's only win in their opening match against Afghanistan, but since then, it's been a string of low scores for Shanto. In fact, he has scored only 24 runs in his last five innings with no double-digit scores at an average of 4.80.
Those are dismal numbers for such a quality batter, and surely, at some point, this run will come to an end. The Eden Gardens is a good batting surface once batters get their eye in, and Shanto is a traditional run accumulator who takes some time before laying into the bowlers.
While he is a risky pick, a batter with a genuine pedigree for scoring runs with very low ownership is a decent Dream11 differential.
#1 Mohammad Wasim Jr. (PAK)
It was Paul van Meekeren who was the wrecker-in-chief for the Netherlands in their trouncing of Bangladesh on Saturday evening. The tall bowler extracted skiddy bounce from the wicket and bowled tight lines, scalping four Bangladesh wickets that ultimately resulted in the side getting bowled out for 142.
While most Dream11 players' attention may go to Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim could end up being the team's highest wicket-taker in the match. Wasim Jr., who replaced Hasan Ali in Pakistan's XI against South Africa, gave a good account of himself, picking up the wickets of Temba Bavuma and the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen.
He hurried the batters with his pace and bounce, and that's something Bangladesh struggles with too. He could certainly be a decent differential captaincy or vice-captaincy option for this match.