With India having sewn up one spot from Group 2, Pakistan and West Indies are the only teams with a realistic chance of taking the other. For Pakistan, the situation is amply clear.
A win over Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium here on Sunday will take it level on points with West Indies.
That will then render Pakistan’s clash with the Caribbeans later this week a virtual quarterfinal. “The picture is very much clear as a team. We have to win every game to be through to the semifinals. We know there is no chance of making any mistakes,” Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez said. Bangladesh should be simple opposition, considering its current form, but Pakistan teams have long had the habit of shooting themselves in the foot. For the winless home side, the objective will be to emerge from the Super 10 stage of the ICC World Twenty20 with at least one victory.
“If we can beat one of the big sides at this stage, you can call it an okay tournament for us,” said Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
“At this moment, the pressure is off. We are hoping that it will give us the confidence of playing our natural game.”
