Pakistan, Bangladesh aim for win, pray for more

The Overview

It's that time of the tournament again where teams rely on favourable results from other games in order to gain a backdoor entry into the next round. Bangladesh will be pleased in the first place that they are even present in this conversation. Not known for their T20 exploits, Bangladesh kickstarted their campaign in the Super 12 with a very poor recent record.

However, they have impressed in patches with both bat and ball that has given them a lot of optimism. Apart from their wins over Netherlands and Zimbabwe, it's the manner in which they ran India so close in their last game that stands out. Six more runs in that game from Bangladesh would have thrown this group wide open. But that's not the case now.

India and South Africa are still favourites to make it to the semifinals given they are facing Zimbabwe and Netherlands respectively. So on paper, this is indeed quite straightforward. But this tournament has multiple times reminded us that games are not always won on paper and that's exactly what Bangladesh and Pakistan are going to rely upon.

The winner of this contest will progress to the semifinal in case India or South Africa end up slipping. By the time they meet, South Africa's game would have gotten over already. So if South Africa do end up collapsing against the Netherlands, that's going to give Bangladesh and Pakistan a huge lift before their contest. But what they got to focus on is the task that's under their control, which is the two points that will be on offer.

Pakistan will be kicking themselves after losing two tight encounters which has put them in this position in the first place. They did bounce back against the Netherlands but it was that dominant win over South Africa that has kept them alive until now. The manner in which they fought back despite a poor start with the bat was indeed impressive.

Quite interestingly, it's their middle order that has stepped up in this tournament having come under a lot of scrutiny in recent weeks. The opponents are indeed familiar with each other having played in the tri-series recently in New Zealand and that familiarity might help Babar Azam regain his form, which might come in handy next week.

When:Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Super 12, November 6, 14:30 local time, 9;00 AM PST

Where:Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

What to expect:We may have gotten off to a damp start a couple of weeks ago but the tournament is all set to witness one of its hottest days. Given it's a day game and the surfaces showing signs of slowing down, expect the spinners to have a huge say.

Team Watch

Pakistan

Tactics & Matchups:Pakistan have pace in their ranks to trouble the Bangladesh batting lineup. How Shaheen Afridi & Co. fare against Litton Das following his promotion might have a huge say in the game.

Probable XI:Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

Bangladesh

Tactics & Matchups:Taskin Ahmed has had a terrific World Cup, striking regularly with the new ball. Even the mighty Indian batting lineup opted to be cautious against the pacer. Bangladesh will hope he strikes early against the underperforming opening pair.

Probable XI:Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Afif Hossain, Yasir Ali, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam

Did you know?

- These two have faced each other in T20 cricket seven times since 2019 with Pakistan winning every single game.

- Shakib Al Hasan averages 45 with the bat and has an economy rate of 6.54 against Pakistan in T20Is.

- With an average of 55.25 and a strike rate of 141.67, Iftikhar Ahmed's record in Australia is much superior compared to his overall record.

What they said:

"We are sandwiched between the two games. There will be a result that we'll know before, which might be in our favor, might not be. Then there's a match after that as well. So, again, we can't look behind or too far ahead. What's important is what we have realized through some harsh lessons that we can only do what's in our control." - Pakistan batter Shan Masood

"This is the best tournament Bangladesh has ever had in a T20 World Cup. We've never won two games in Super 12s in the history of Bangladesh cricket, so we've done that, so I think the boys should be proud of themselves." - Bangladesh Coach Sridharan Sriram