Red-hot Pakistan take on depleted Bangladesh

The first game of the Super Four phase will see Pakistan take on Bangladesh in Lahore. Both teams are coming off wins in their games and will be looking to carry that momentum further. This will be the third game here, but the first time hosts Pakistan will set foot here in this tournament. 

With 89 and 104 in the first two games, Najmul Hossain Shanto was the highest run-scorer of the tournament before he was ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury. They have added Litton Das as his replacement, but it remains to be seen if he is match-ready or not. 

Pakistan will be pleased with how they have performed so far. Their bowlers have lived up to their hype, and their batting beyond the top four has also delivered. However, they will be wary of not overburdening their pacers less than a month from the World Cup. 

Pakistan and Bangladesh haven’t played too much ODI cricket against each other in the recent past. In fact, tomorrow will be the first instance of the two teams facing off in a 50-over-contest since the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup. 

Things to watch out for

Fakhar Zaman’s form

Something we’d spoken about even while previewing Pakistan’s previous game against India, Fakhar Zaman being back amongst the runs will help the middle-order play a lot more freely. Length balls have been his undoing in 2023, with over 70% of his dismissals with the new ball have been in the 6m - 8m length. 

It’s been an extreme last 15 games for Fakhar in this format. The last seven games have seen him cross the 30-run-mark only twice, while the eight games preceding that saw him score four centuries and a fifty. He will have his task cut for him when he faces Taskin Ahmed, who’s bowled 85% of his deliveries shorter than the 6m length. 

Bangladesh batters against pace

Bangla batters have loved facing pace in ODIs, and their number reflects just that. This year, they have scored at a strike of 96 against pace as opposed to 84 against spin. Their top order is filled with proficient pace strikers, including the likes of Litton Das, Shanto, and Towhid Hridoy. They then have the experience of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan to follow, making them one of the better teams against pace in the tournament. 

Pakistan so far have depended on their pacers to break the back of their opposition. Pakistan’s pacers have taken twice as many wickets as their spinners and have taken over 40% fewer deliveries to get a wicket. Given this reliance, it’ll be a fascinating battle to see how Bangla batters fare against what is arguably the best pace bowling attack in the world. 

Pitch and Conditions

If there’s one surface in Asia Cup 2023 that batters would enjoy batting on, it will be the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The two games here have seen first innings scores of 334 and 291, the highest for any venue in the Asia Cup. 

Apart from batters, pacers will also enjoy their time here. They have taken 62% of the wickets taken here in the last three years, and, given both the teams’ pace attacks, it shouldn’t be any different tomorrow as well. 

Teams batting first have won both the games here, and expect it to be no different tomorrow as well. Conditions will be on the hotter side, with the temperatures to be consistently above 35 degrees throughout the day. Thankfully, no rain is expected. 

Tactical Nous

Towhid Hridoy was promoted to #3 to break the LHB hegemony at the top. The ploy didn’t exactly reap rewards, as he was dismissed for a two-balls-duck. Moreover, the return of Litton Das means that Mehidy Hasan Miraz will move a spot to #3, despite his fantastic century in the previous game against Afghanistan. Litton will provide them with an attacking option at the top and will also help them use Mehidy in the middle overs - a phase he’s really excelled in. 

Probable XIs

Pakistan have already announced their XI for tomorrow’s game. They’ve made just the solitary change, with Faheem Ashraf replacing Mohammad Nawaz. Presumably, to include another pace option without compromising on their much-envied batting depth. 

Playing XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

Bangladesh will not want to tinker much with their XI, so expect just the one forced change with Litton replacing Shanto at the top. 

Playing XI: Mohammad Naim, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman