Toby Marshall
In the 31st league match of the 2023 edition of the ICC ODI World Cup, the Pakistan cricket team will go one-on-one against the Bangladesh team. The two teams are all set to battle against each other at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday, October 31.
The Bangladesh cricket team has failed to make an impact in the tournament so far in either of the departments and has thus been ruled out of the playoff race. The team has featured in a total of six games and has won only one game while losing as many as five matches to occupy the second-last place in the points table.
The Tigers are currently on a four-match losing streak and mostly the batters are to be blamed as they haven’t scored over 250 runs in even one game so far.
As far as the Pakistan cricket team is concerned, they have also not delivered many good performances in the ICC World Cup 2023 so far. The team started off well in the league but they have now lost four games in a row. With four points from two wins and four losses, the Men in Green are sixth in the points table.
For Pakistan to make a comeback and continue their hopes of making it to the top four, it is important for the bowlers to get back in the rhythm.
So far in the 2023 edition of the ICC ODI World Cup, both Pakistan and Bangladesh have flattened in the middle. Pakistan won their first two matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka by 81 runs and six wickets respectively. However, the team failed to continue the momentum and ended up losing the next four matches against India, Afghanistan, Australia and South Africa respectively.
In their last game against South Africa, the Green Army failed to defend a good score of 270 runs and ended up losing by one wicket. As far as Bangladesh are concerned, they have lost their last five matches against England, New Zealand, India, South Africa and the Netherlands.
Their only victory in the event came in their first game against Afghanistan as they chased 157 runs in the alloted 50 overs to score a win by six wickets.
The rivalry between the Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket teams and their fans is not unknown to any cricket fan. However, the Tigers do not have anything significant to boast about as they are far behind the Men in Green when it comes to the head-to-head records. Pakistan and Bangladesh have played against each other in a total of 38 One Day Internationals so far.
Out of 38 matches, the Pakistan team has won a whopping 33 games while the remaining five games saw Bangladesh crossing the winning line.
Babar Azam (Pakistan): The Pakistani skipper Babar Azam has not played to his full potential in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 so far. Though he has gotten off to good starts in many games, Azam is yet to stay for longer in the middle and deliver a match-winning performance for his team. However, with Pakistan struggling for a playoff spot, it will be extremely important for the captain to score good runs and lead his team from the front.
Despite Pakistan’s defeat by just one wicket, the 29-year-old looked good in his team’s last outing against South Africa. Batting first, Babar smacked 50 runs off 65 balls to help his team post a decent score of 270 runs in their allotted 50 overs.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh): The Bangladesh cricket team has not experienced any breakout performance in the ICC ODI World Cup so far as all the key players have failed to make an impact. However, if there is one player who can help the team change its fortunes and register some wins is the all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
The 26-year-old has good international experience to his name as he has smacked 1190 runs in 88 One Day Internationals at an average of over 22 and a strike rate of over 77. He has also picked a good 97 wickets at an average of 34.11 and an economy rate of 4.76. Thus, Miraz is expected to put his international experience to use in the ICC World Cup 2023 and help Bangladesh save their pride by winning the last few league games.
Both the Bangladesh and Pakistan cricket teams have underperformed in the 2023 edition of the ICC ODI World Cup. Bangladesh is currently second-last in the points table and is out of the playoff race. The team is thus likely to be low on confidence and momentum and can deliver another underwhelming performance.
Speaking of the Pakistan team, they have also struggled to make an impact with only two wins to their name from six league matches. However, unlike Bangladesh, Pakistan still has a glimmer of hope regarding a spot in the top four of the points table. Thus, the team is expected to go all out on Tuesday and score a win against Bangladesh.
According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Pakistan may choose to play their 2023 ODI World Cup matches in Bangladesh due to political tensions with India, which is set to host the tournament. The report suggests that discussions regarding this possibility are currently ongoing, and a hybrid model for the Asia Cup is also being considered […]
On June 27, the BCCI and ICC made a joint announcement regarding the schedule for the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 in Mumbai. This highly anticipated event is set to commence on October 5 and culminate with the final match on November 19.
