Pakistan vs Bangladesh Warm-up Match Preview: TSR presents Predicted Playing 11, Toss prediction and Weather report for tomorrow’s clash
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Pakistan will face their South-Asian neighbours Bangladesh on Day 3 of the Warm-up match fixtures on May 26 (Sunday) at the Cardiff Wales Stadium.
ALSO READ: South Africa vs West Indies Warm-up match preview
Pakistan were defeated by the low-ranked Afghanistan team in their first Warm-up fixture by 3 wickets, thereby adding on to their concerns ahead of the main tournament. They will be up against the in-form Bangladesh side who can cause an upset by toppling any of the teams in the tournament.
Bangladesh, on the other hand are fresh from their recent Tri-series win Ireland. It was their first series win ever in a multi-nation tournament. They had won each of the 5 matches during the series, and even defeated the West Indian side thrice in as many encounters.
Pakistan vs Bangladesh warm-up match Preview
Form Guide
The Pakistan side as mentioned above, have had a miserable outing in the ODI format recently. They have lost 11 consecutive ODIs in a row now, which is way more than just a danger sign for them in the World Cup.
Their batting, which was one of the very few positives for them in their last ODI series against England, also went flat yesterday with their middle-order collapsing, restricting them to just 262 in the 50 overs.
Their bowling has been a consistent cause of concern for them, as they couldn’t defend even 262 against a side that is not much known for its batting prowess.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, are all pumped up after defeating the Windies in the Final of the Tri-series tournament. They were however, annihilated by the formidable New Zealand side 3-0 in the prior series, which would surely be at the back of their minds when they play higher ranked sides in the World Cup.
On a positive note, the senior players in the side viz. Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Shakib-Al-Hasan are in prime form with the bat.. New comer Abu Jayed, whose spot was uncertain in the final World Cup squad earlier, too produced a match winning spell of 5/58 against Ireland.
Bangladesh will surely look to carry on with their form, before they face the Proteas challenge on June 2 as their first match of the main tournament. What might turn the tide in their favour is the opposition they are playing against, who clearly lack in confidence.
Pakistan vs Bangladesh- Predicted Top playing 11
Pakistan will look to give their bowlers ample opportunities to get into their groove before the main tournament begins. And this is clearly their last chance to address the many issues that they are facing with.
Wahab Riaz produced a fine spell of death bowling against Afghanistan and almost revived hopes of a win for Pakistan. He would certainly get another go to prove what he is worth of, thereby justifying the selectors’ decision to pick him in the squad. Shaheen Afridi too, looked haywire and went for 51 in his 6 overs. It remains a doubt whether he’ll get another game or not. Thus, young Mohammed Hasnain, who bowled some decent pace in the first warm-up match, might get an another go again tomorrow, to impress the selectors.
The Bangladesh team would be looking to back the players who were in some touch with the bat, in the recent series.
The teams would be, all-in-all looking to play in the players who they think need more practice than the others, and even those deemed valuable players who need to showcase their form, with bat or ball before the main tournament kicks-off. And that is what forms the basis of our predicted top 11 players from each side.
Pakistan Top 11
Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt & wk), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Wahab Riaz.
Bangladesh Top 11
Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Abu Jayed, Liton Das (wk), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal.
Pakistan vs Bangladesh- Pitch and Weather Condition
Sunday will be a generally cloudier and breezier day with outbreaks of rain and drizzle. It is, however, expected to turn drier and sunnier later in the afternoon.
This is the same venue where the Proteas amassed 338/7 in their 50 overs against Sri Lanka. So both the teams should expect and gear themselves up for another run-fest at the Cardiff Wales Stadium.
Toss prediction
Whoever wins the toss would definitely look to bat first considering the predicted pitch tomorrow. While Pakistan might also think take it the other way around in a bid to address their bowling woes.
Where would the match telecast?
With the official broadcaster Star, deciding to broadcast all the warm-up matches, the clash between the two sides will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network and Hotstar, and will commence from 03:00 IST.
