INTRODUCTION:
It’s a battle between 2 teams which has completely lost the plot in this tournament. Both Pakistan & Bangladesh have lost 4 & 5 consecutive games respectively. The team which loses this game would definitely consider booking their return tickets back to their home. Even though there is not much at stake, teams like Sri Lanka & Afghanistan would be watching this game closely. With Pakistan agonisingly losing their previous game and considering the previous contests between these teams, we might expect a close game.
PAKISTAN:
Everything has gone against Pakistan in the last 45 days dating back to the Asia Cup. From their ace pacers losing form and getting ruled out to an obvious leg before call not being given by the umpire at a crucial stage of an important game. After starting the tournament with 2 back-to-back wins by chasing a world record total, things have gone down south for them. It all started with the mega collapse against India at Ahmedabad. Ever since that, Babar started scoring runs but with very less impact, Shaheen Afridi has started taking wickets but not with the new ball and both Haris Rauf & Shadab Khan can’t buy a wicket in the middle overs. With very few things at stake in the remaining games, they might look to get back Fakhar Zaman into the XI if he’s fit. They have been longing for a rocking start in the powerplay throughout this tournament. Abdullah Shafique & Md Wasim Junior are the few positives they can take away. Facing a depleted Bangladesh side might boost up this Pakistan side a bit.
BANGLADESH:
No one expected Bangladesh to be in the top 4 in table after playing 6 games, but also no one expected them to be in the 9th place too. After starting the tournament with a huge win against Afghanistan (which might be considered as an upset now), they have looked completely turned off in this tournament. Especially players like Shanto, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz & Taskin Ahmed who have been performing well before the tournament have disappointed. And their skipper’s batting form also has not been encouraging. Shoriful Islam & Mahmudullah have been their lone shining light in this campaign. With 5 losses, their Semi-Final hopes is all but gone, they might look to pull down some teams before going out. One thing for sure is that we can expect a full house at the Eden Gardens.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI:
PAKISTAN: Abdullah Shafique, Imam Ul Haq/ Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (C), Muhammed Rizwan (WK), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Muhammed Nawaz, Muhammed Wasim Jr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.
BANGLADESH: Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Mehidy Hasan, Najmul Hussain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (C), Musfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
INTERESTING MATCH-UPS:
- Shakib Al Hasan vs Babar Azam will be good contest as the latter has found difficult against the spinners off late.
INTERESTING FACTS & STATS:
- Pakistan became the first World Cup winning team to lose 4 games in a row (equalled by England)
- Pakistan was the first Test playing nation defeated by Bangladesh in the World Cup.
DATE: 31st October 2023
TIME: 2.00 PM (IST)
VENUE: EDEN GARDENS, KOLKATA
PREDICTIONS:
TOSS: Team winning the toss would look to chase considering the amount of dew, but with both teams tend to struggle in chases toss might not be a concern.
WINNING CHANCES: PAKISTAN 70% - BANGLADESH 30%
DREAM 11 FANTASY TEAM:
