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Pakistan and Bangladesh will face each other in the 31st match of the ODI World Cup 2023 on October 31. The BAN vs. Pakistan match will start at 2:30 pm Bangladesh time, and it will be played at Eden Gardens. While both teams are struggling in this tournament, let`s see which team has a great chance to win this clash.
Bangladesh vs. Pakistan ODI in the 2023 ICC Men’s World Cup: Match Preview
So far, Bangladesh and Pakistan have had a similar journey in the World Cup. Bangladesh won their first match but then lost the next five in a row. Pakistan had a bit of a better start, winning their first two matches, but then they also lost four games in a row.
To make it to the semi-finals, Pakistan needed to win the last match against South Africa. So, team Pakistan gave it their all in their last game, but they left the field with a 1-wicket defeat at the end of the highly exciting match. This made it more difficult for Pakistan to play in the semi-finals.
Batting first in the match in Chennai on Friday, Pakistan collected 270 runs with half-centuries by captain Babar Azam and Shadab Khan. In response, South Africa managed to win with only 16 balls and one wicket left. Aiden Markram played a significant role by scoring 91 runs from 93 balls. After such a sad loss, Pakistan had to hear bad news from the ICC again at the end of the match. The entire Pakistan team got fined because they were too slow in completing their overs during the match against South Africa. As a result, each player has to pay a penalty, which is 20 percent of their match fee.
This loss to South Africa marks Pakistan`s fourth consecutive defeat, following their initial two wins at the start of the World Cup. Currently, they`re in the sixth position on the points table with 4 points from 6 matches. Now, Pakistan is on the verge of getting out of the World Cup.
On the other hand, Bangladesh, who came to the World Cup with the dream of playing in the semi-finals, has won one of the six matches so far. They also lost against the Netherlands in the last match. With this loss, Bangladesh`s elimination from the World Cup has been confirmed. Still, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan is thinking of doing something for the people of the country by doing well in the remaining three matches.
On October 28, at the Eden Gardens, the Netherlands beat Bangladesh by a big margin of 87 runs. They managed to get all the Bangladeshi players out for just 142 runs with 7.3 balls still to spare in the game.
With the exception of Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who scored 35 runs, and Mahmudullah and Mustafizur Rahman, who both scored 20 runs each, no other Bangladeshi batter could stay on the pitch for a long time against the Dutch bowlers. On the other side, for the Netherlands, Paul van Meekeren took 4 wickets, Bas de Leede got two wickets, and Colin Ackermann, Logan van Beek, and Aryan Dutt each took one wicket.
Can Pakistan or Bangladesh go to the Semi-Finals?
South Africa and India have already reached 10 points. And anyway, it is almost impossible for Pakistan to beat these two teams. Because Pakistan collected 4 points in 6 matches, even if they win 3 matches at their end, the team will not be able to collect more than 10 points. Pakistan`s opponents in their last three matches are Bangladesh, New Zealand and England respectively. If they can beat all three teams, there is a possibility for Pakistan to go to the semi-finals. But for that, Pakistan has to depend on other team`s wins and losses. So, the match against Bangladesh is very crucial for them, and they must aim for a big win.
On the other hand, Bangladesh has 2 points in 6 matches. Their net run rate is -1.338. They are ninth in the points table. Despite being almost eliminated from the World Cup, the Tigers are still in the World Cup on book. But they have tough calculations ahead of them.
At the current position, Bangladesh can get a maximum of 8 points if they win the remaining three matches. New Zealand, at number three, and Australia, at number four, also have 8 points in the overall points list. Based on the statistics, it`s not possible to conclude that Bangladesh is out of the tournament at this point.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh`s next three matches are against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia. First, they have to defeat these three teams. Still, they have to look at the results of the rest of the teams, especially towards New Zealand and Australia. If these two teams win even one of their next three matches, they will get 10 points. In that case, even if Bangladesh wins the next three matches, there will be no chance for the semi-finals.
Bangladesh vs Pakistan Head-to-Head ODI
In the 38 One-Day International (ODI) matches played between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Pakistan has won 33 times, while Bangladesh has managed to win 5 times.
Probable XI for Bangladesh
Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
Probable XI for Pakistan
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf.
Bangladeshi Players to Watch
Mahmudullah
In the four matches during the 2023 World Cup, Mahmudullah scored a total of 198 runs with an impressive average of 99. He also had a strike rate of 101.02. Additionally, he bowled for five overs and gave away 33 runs at an economy rate of 6.60.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz
So far in this World Cup, Miraz has scored 144 runs in six matches. With balls, he grabbed six wickets in six matches. So, he might have a significant impact either with the ball or bat.
Pakistani Players to Watch
Mohammad Rizwan
Rizwan is currently the top scorer for Pakistan in World Cup 2023. He scored 333 runs with 97.36 strike rates from 6 matches. So, Bangladesh will have to keep Rizwan`s aggressive batting style before bowling him.
Shaheen Afridi
Ranked 5 in the most wicket grabber list in World Cup 2023, Shaheen Afridi also holds the record for the second player to take a 5-wicket haul in the World Cup. And he did it against Australia in this tournament. On top of that, in the ODI, he has the best bowling record of 6/35, and it is against Bangladesh. So, the Tigers` batters should think twice before taking a move in Shaheen`s bowl.
Final Words
Bangladesh’s performance in the 2023 ICC World Cup tournament is so far quite disappointing. However, Bangladesh has a record of sparking after a few consecutive losses. Considering the performance and previous records, Pakistan clearly has a competitive edge in this match. So, it can be predicted that Pakistan will win the BAN vs. PAK ODI match in Eden Gardens.
