Their semifinal chances reduced to just a mathematicalpossibility, former champions Pakistan will need an improbable win overBangladesh to have a shot at making the semifinals of the World Cup when thetwo sides clash here on Friday.
Pakistan’s resurgence in the World Cup looked eerily closeto the 1992 Cup-winning edition before India’s loss to England dented theirhopes of a semifinal spot and when New Zealand went down to the hosts lastnight, it was almost over for them.
The road to the knockout stage for Sarfaraz Ahmed and hismen is just an improbable mathematical calculation and that too providedPakistan win the toss and bat first.
If Pakistan lose the toss and are asked to field, theirminiscule semi-final hopes will be over even before the first ball is bowled atthe Lord’s.
New Zealand finished their engagements at 11 points fromnine matches after their 119-run loss to England but despite the massivedefeat, the Kiwis are way ahead in terms of their net run-rate, which is+0.175, compared to Pakistan’s -0.792.
Currently placed fifth with nine points from eight matches,Pakistan face the challenge of beating Bangladesh by 311 runs after posting 350or by 316 runs after scoring 400, something which is practically impossible.
Following their loss to arch-rivals India, Pakistan staged aremarkable comeback with wins over South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan,riding on some impressive performances by Babar Azam and Harris Sohail in thebatting department.
Left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi’s five-wicket haul against NewZealand was also a big positive as it added firepower to their bowling led byMohammad Amir.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, will rue their missed chancesand would hope to bring some cheer to their fans back home with a solidperformance against Pakistan, a team they had defeated in the 1999 edition.
Currently placed seventh, Bangladesh have been impressive intheir wins against South Africa, Afghanistan and West Indies.
They have shown the stomach for a fight even in losses andMashrafe Mortaza and his men will hope for a good outing against Pakistan onFriday.
Bangladesh have been too dependent on star all-rounderShakib Al Hasan, who has become the only cricketer to score 500 runs and claim10 wickets in World Cup history.
Led by Shakib, Bangladesh have consistently crossed the300-mark this World Cup but it is their bowling which has let them down,especially the lack of form of skipper Mortaza.
Mustafizur Rahman’s variations, which fetched him five wickets,and Mohammad Saifuddin’s fifty helped them give India a scare in their lastmatch and Bangladesh will hope for a stronger show against Pakistan.
Squads:
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ulHaq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Shahdab Khan, Mohammed Hafeez,Mohammed Hasnain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Mohammed Aamir, ShoaibMalik, Imad Wasim, Asif Ali.
Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, SoumyaSarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmuduallah Riyadh, SabbirRahaman, Mehidy Hasan Miraj, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammed Saifuddin, MustafizurRahaman, Rubel Hossain, Liton Kumar Das, Abu Jayed, Mohammed Mithun.
Match Starts 3pm (IST).