Having registered resounding back-to-back victories, hosts Bangladesh are expected to put up a tough fight against Pakistan despite the absence of their main strike bowler Mustafizur Rahaman in an Asia Cup round robin league encounter, in Mirpur on Wednesday.
It will be a must-win game for both teams aiming to make it to the finals of the continental championship ahead of the ICC World T20 tournament.
Especially for Bangladesh, who despite their recent exploits in the ODI circuit, are still not taken very seriously in the shortest format.
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For Mashrafe Mortaza and his men, it will be an opportunity to prove their critics wrong and also gain the much needed confidence required before boarding the flight to India for the global event.
The injury to Mustafizur is something that will be a cause of concern for the home team. Mustafizur’s variations would have no doubt troubled the Pakistan batting line-up, which has looked shaky despite their seven-wicket-win against United Arab Emirates the other day.
The presence of the left-arm seamer during the death overs would have increased pressure on the Pakistanis, who have not been at their best in the two matches they played so far.
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But the good news for Bangladesh is the return of senior opener Tamim Iqbal, who is back after the birth of his first child.
Tamim would like to give the home team a cracking start — something they have lacked in all three matches so far.
On the other hand, Pakistan’s batting has been woeful in the first game against India, where they were shot out for a meagre 83 while UAE also gave them a scare blowing away the top order for only 17 runs.
Even Pakistan coach Waqar Younis conceded that he did not know what stopped the openers Sharjeel Khan and Mohammed Hafeez from playing fearless cricket.