CWC 2019: PAK vs BAN Preview – Pakistan ponder impossible as Bangladesh eye 5th spot

The criteria for Pakistan to qualify for the semi-final of the World Cup 2019 is as follows –

– They cannot be bowling first. If Bangladesh bat first, Pakistan cannot qualify in any case.

– If Pakistan bats first, they will have to win the game by a margin of 300-plus runs. Such a mammoth win has not been noted so far in ODI history.

– Pakistan have to register this record win against the team that has defeated them four times in the last four ODIs.

Realistically, Pakistan’s hopes of qualifying into the semi-final are non-existent. The contest between them and Bangladesh will primarily be for the fifth spot in the points table. The Bangla tigers who have taken down South Africa and West Indies in this tournament will be eager to end this campaign on a high. Pakistan who woke up after their loss to India shall hope for the same.

Pakistani side eerily followed the exact result pattern that happened in the 1992 World Cup where they were the champions. Sarfaraz’s men revived their current campaign with three consecutive wins after the heavy loss against India. They have been excellent in all three departments.

Bangladesh have been very impressive throughout the tournament. Not giving up any contest, they competed on an equal footing with Australia, India and New Zealand. Shakib Al Hasan the first man to score 500-plus runs and take more than 10 wickets in the World Cup history has been the shining star. He has been supported by Mustafizur Rehman, Mushfiqur Rahim and others. The victory over Pakistan will help Bangladesh claim the tag of the second-best Asian side.

Match Info

Pakistan vs Bangladesh, 43rd Match

Lord’s, London (3:00 pm IST)

Head-To-Head

Incredibly, Pakistan and Bangladesh have clashed with each other only once in the World Cup and what a match it was! In the 1999 tournament, Bangla tigers shocked Pakistan with a 62-run triumph. The victory paved the way for Test cricket in Bangladesh.

Team News

Pakistan 

The team that has won three matches on the trot has no reason to make any changes. The selection of Haris Sohail over Shoaib Malik proved to be the harbinger of good times. The batsman has batted with attacking intent. Wahab Riaz batted with a hairline fracture in the last game. If Pakistan rest him, they have an option in Mohammad Hasnain. The 19-year old fast bowler will be an exciting prospect to try in the last match.

Bangladesh

For their game against India, the side used an extra seamer in Rubel Hossain at the expense of Mehidy Hasan. Mahmudullah was also replaced by Sabbir Rehman. The management may revert both these changes. Lord’s track tends to get slower as the game progresses so we may see Bangladesh opting a spinner in place of Rubel. Sabbir batted well in his knock of 36 but if fit Mahmudullah should replace him.

Probable XI

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, F Zaman, B Azam, M Hafeez, H Sohail, S Ahmed(w/c), I Wasim, S Khan, W Riaz/ M Hasnain, M Amir, S Afridi

Bangladesh: T Iqbal, L Das, Shakib Al Hasan, M Rahim(w), S Sarkar, S Rahman/Mahmudullah, M Hossain, M Saifuddin, R Hossain/M Hasan, M Mortaza(c), M Rahman

Stat Attack

• Mustafizur Rehman is just two wickets away from completing 100 wickets in ODIs.
• Mushfiqur Rahim has scored 319 runs in four innings against Pakistan at an average of 106. If he scores 91 runs in this match, he will become the third Bangladeshi batsman to complete 6,000 runs in ODIs.
• Pakistan has lost all four ODIs played against Bangladesh since April 2015.