BAN vs PAK: T20I series – Five exciting players to watch out for
Pakistan and Bangladesh are set to lock horns in a three-match T20I series starting Friday, November 19. All matches will be hosted by the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. The Pakistan team has already reached Bangladesh and have started full-fledged practice at the venue.
The Tigers will go into the series after losing five games in the Super 12 stage of the recently-concluded T20 World Cup. Pakistan, on the other hand, ended up as the semi-finalists after winning all their group games. Both teams have some exciting and talented players in their ranks and the focus will be on them in the upcoming white-ball fixtures.
Here are 5 players to watch out for in the series:
Mustafizur Rahman
Mustafizur Rahman wasn’t at his very best in the T20 World Cup, though he picked up a four-wicket haul against Oman. The southpaw strained to find his feet while bowling to teams with strong batting line-ups. But in both the home series that Bangladesh played against Australia and New Zealand, Mustafizur was a tough nut to crack. His change of pace could end up troubling the Pakistani batters.
Babar Azam
The ever-consistent Babar Azam has played some scintillating knocks for Pakistan over the years and has flourished across formats. In six matches during the T20 World Cup, the Pakistan captain scored 303 runs with four half-centuries. He also ended up as the leading run-scorer in the tournament. Babar is the second-highest T20I run-getter in 2021 and the onus will be on him to take Pakistan off to flying starts at the top.
Mahmudullah
Mahmudullah went into the T20 World Cup as Bangladesh’s most successful T20I skipper. But his team flattered to deceive as the Tigers managed only 2 wins in 8 matches. The skipper scored a fifty against Papua New Guinea, but couldn’t deliver apart from that. He also didn’t contribute with the ball in hand. But given the experience he has, Mahmudullah is expected to bounce back stronger.
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi started his T20 World Cup campaign with an explosive three-wicket haul against India, but he couldn’t quite finish off in style. In the semi-final, Matthew Wade hit him for three sixes in a row to knock Pakistan out of the tournament. In 6 games, Afridi picked up 8 wickets at a decent economy of 7.04. The speedster needs to up his game a wee bit against an equally unpredictable team.
Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan is currently the leading run-scorer in T20Is in the current year. With over 1000 T20Is runs this year under his belt, the right-hander has looked in ominous touch. In the T20 World Cup, he scored at an average higher than that of Babar. If he gets his eyes in, the Bangladesh bowlers could end up chasing leather.
