Overall, the relationship between teams is complex.
Discussions about rivalries have dominated the Asia Cup. India and Pakistan. Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Naagin contest. You might as well include the Rohit rivalry.
Here’s another fiery contest to start off the Super Four competition. Pakistan and Bangladesh have endured a lengthy and contentious relationship on and off the field, and Wednesday will be their first ODI meeting since the 2019 World Cup.
Bangladesh’s defining moment as a cricketing nation occurred, naturally, against Pakistan. However, it was also against Pakistan that they endured their most protracted struggle to convert this breakthrough into field victories.
Between Northampton in 1999 and Mirpur in 2015, Bangladesh defeated every other international opponent at least once, but Pakistan 40 times in a row. Some of these losses were legitimate heartbreaks, including those in the 2012 and 2014 Asia Cups.
Prior to the Super Fours of the Asia Cup, Litton had Joined the Bangladesh Squad in Lahore
Since then, they have turned a corner, particularly in ODIs, where they have defeated Pakistan four times in their last five meetings, with the most recent victory coming at the 2019 World Cup. Since then, Pakistan has dominated the rivalry in Tests and T20Is, but those results will have little consequence on Wednesday’s match, as Bangladesh’s strength lies in the 50-overs format.
Since Pakistan is playing at home and appears to have all bases covered, as befits the best ODI team in the world, they must be considered the favorites.
Already hampered by injuries to key players, Bangladesh now lacks their most in-form batter, Najmul Hossain Shanto.
However, they are a shrewd, experienced team that is well-versed in ODI cricket, and they are familiar with the conditions in Lahore, having defeated Afghanistan there on Sunday. Anticipate that they will be well-prepared and ready for anything Pakistan can hurl at them.
Pakistan WWWWL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first) is dictated by recent form.
Pakistan WLWLL
Fakhar Zaman and Shoriful Islam stand out.
Since scoring three consecutive hundreds against New Zealand in May, Fakhar Zaman’s last seven ODI scores are 19, 14, 33, 2, 30, 27, and 14. If he is selected against Bangladesh, he will make every effort to remain on the team.
It’s still early, but after 19 ODIs, Shoriful Islam has a fantastic record with 30 wickets at an average of 24.80. The left-arm fast is coming off a three-wicket haul against Afghanistan, and if he can get the new ball moving, he could cause issues for Pakistan’s top order.
Litton will Replace Shanto, Per Team News
Pakistan played the same XI in both of their group games, but will make one change for the Super 4s. For the match against Bangladesh, Mohammad Nawaz has been replaced by Faheem Ashraf, the medium-pacer who was added the day before the match. Pakistan’s decision not to include left-arm spinner Nawaz could be due to the large number of left-handed batters in Bangladesh’s lineup.
1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam (captain), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), 5 Agha Salman, 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Naseem Shah, 11 Haris Rauf.
Litton Das, who has recovered from the ailment that held him out of the group stage, is anticipated to replace Shanto in the top order. It will be intriguing to see if he bats first or if Mehidy Hasan Miraz retains his position following his century against Afghanistan.
Bangladesh (probable): No. 1 Mohammad Naim, No. 2 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, No. 3 Litton Das, No. 4 Shakib Al Hasan (captain), No. 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), No. 6 Towhid Hridoy. 11 Hasan Mahmud, 7 Shamim Hossain, 8 Afif Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam.
The Pitch and Weather
The last five one-day internationals played at Gaddafi Stadium have produced three first-innings totals of 300 or more, including Sri Lanka’s 291 against Afghanistan on Tuesday. With temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius, the weather is anticipated to be sweltering and arid.
Numbers and Trivia
Bangladesh has yet to defeat Pakistan in any format in Pakistan. They have lost each of their 11 ODIs, five Tests, and three T20Is against each other.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (22.39) has a better average than Sarfraz Nawaz (23.22), Wasim Akram (23.52), and Waqar Younis (23.84) among Pakistani bowlers with at least 50 ODI wickets.
Mohammad Rizwan has 49 catches in One-Day Internationals as a keeper. Additionally, he has made 12 receptions as a fielder.
