Pakistan vs Bangladesh CWC 2023

The big match is coming up. Bangladesh and Pakistan will play on the 31st of October, 2023. Both the teams want to win this match. No team can afford to lose those two points from here. This will be a high-octane match; there is no doubt about it. And you can be our pals along the way. In this article, we will provide previews, predictions, highlights, and more. So join us at this party, because this will be fun.

Read: ICC Cricket World Cup points table 2023

Pakistan vs Bangladesh live-streaming

There’s a long history between Pakistan and Bangladesh. There is a common origin for both nations. And that sparks a sense of rivalry between the two teams. We have seen that in all the Asia Cups and the bilateral series involving these two teams.

Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Live Streaming

If you are a Pakistani or a Bangladeshi fan, you know exactly what I am talking about here. That is why none of you want to miss this match. And you cannot; there are many ways you can enjoy this match’s live streaming. Bangladesh cricket fans can switch to Ghazi TV, Toffee, and other broadcasters. At the same time, Pakistan can switch to any of these options for live streaming.

• Tamasha app
• ARY Zapp
• Daraz app
• Shoq
• My Zong app
• A Sports

Match preview

Pitch report

We have said this for the previous match as well; this is a batting deck. The previous match wasn’t a high-scoring one. However, you could see some fight between the rivals. So there is something for both batters and the bowlers. Spinners get a lot of help on this pitch. Especially the left-arm spinners. Hence, Shakib can be one of the key players here. Talking about key players, let’s jump to the next section.

Key performers

From Bangladesh dugout, Shakib is their key to success. However, Mustafizur Rahman can be lethal against Pakistan. Can he get the openers out early on when the ball is swinging? But Shakib will be lethal against the Pakistani lineup with both the bat and the ball. Mehidy Hasan Mirza can give the likes of Iftikhar and Babar some problems. They can’t play spin that well.

From Pakistan’s camp, Shaheen will likely do his magic. But if they go with Usama Mir, he can give you a lot of wickets. We all saw what he could do with the ball during the match against South Africa. Mohammad Rizwan has been in red-hot form so far. His bat is leaking and runs all over the ground. He does fumble playing the sweep shot. Not every batter is perfect.

Pakistan is hanging by a fine thread

Pakistan is in trouble. It has lost 4 matches in a row, which wasn’t achieved even by the weaker side of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Call it bad luck, lousy captaincy, unfit players, or a mixture of everything, the Pakistan team hasn’t been able to win so far. The Pakistan vs South Africa CWC 2023 match went pretty close, but the Proteas won by one wicket. Pakistan could have won the Australia vs Pakistan CWC 2023 game, too, but they couldn’t keep their nerves.

Read: Pakistan Squad for ICC World Cup 2023 [Announced]

Can they catch some momentum now?

Bangladesh looking for redemption

Bangladesh only won their match against the Afghanistan side. Since then, it has been an amalgam of everything keeping them from winning. Shakib and Taskin got injured, players couldn’t contain the opposition, and batters couldn’t chase a target. Bangladesh hasn’t been able to break the jinx. It is about time they stood up and bottled those 2 points. But can they do that against a Pakistan side already desperate for a win?

Check: Bangladesh Squad for World Cup 2023 [Announced]

Prediction

If Pakistan gets past the Bangladeshi spinners, they will win this match. Otherwise, it would be an action replay of their matches against Afghanistan and South Africa. And this also gives us the condition of how Bangladesh can win. But again, they must beat a Pakistan side that is here for the kill.

Highlights

Bangladesh won the toss, and they chose to bat first. This wicket is dry, and Shakib wanted to bat here. When asked if Babar had made the same decision, he agreed with Ravi Shastri. Let’s see if this decision was the right one for Bangladesh

First Innings – Bangladesh

• Bangladesh was looking forward to a good score in the power play. This was a dry, flat wicket. Shakib looked forward to scoring high on this surface. However, Pakistan is different today. Pakistan was out for a win, and it is the question of whether they would qualify for the semis. This is not the day Pakistani pacers would disappoint you. And this is precisely what Pakistani fast bowlers did. They didn’t disappoint the cricket fans.
• Shaheen Shah Afridi came and took wickets in his successive two overs. This was a time when Bangladesh needed a partnership. Mushfiqur Rahim came to provide the stability that his team needed.
• Haris Rauf came and bowled one of the most “Haris Rauf” overs in this World Cup. He went for more than 12 runs in his first over. However, the last ball was different. Haris had figured out how he was going to take Mushfiqur’s wicket. He bowled a good-length delivery.
• Pakistan was looking good. They could have bowled this Bangladesh side out much earlier if not for Litton Das, Mahmudullah, and Shakib.
• The defining moment was when Litton Das gave away his wicket to Iftikhar Ahmad. The batter stood there for about 20-25 seconds in dismay, thinking, why would he play such a rash shot? He knew he had thrown away the 2 points on the table right then.
• After Ifitkhar broke this partnership between Litton Das and Mahmudullah, the only decent partnership was between Shakib and Miaz. But even this was broken through by Haris Rauf. Usama Mir took Towhid’s wicket.
• Mohammad Wasim came later on and clean-bowled the tail with his ever-swinging deliveries. This was a satisfying end for Pakistani bowlers.
• Pakistan had restricted their rivals to 204 runs. Now, they had to chase this target in 30 overs if they wanted their NRR to be positive.

Second Innings – Pakistan

• That opening partnership from Fakhar and Abdullah killed Bangladesh’s hopes of winning this match. Shakib and Co couldn’t achieve what they had planned with the ball. Was this a wrong decision at the toss?
• The opening stand of 128 runs was pretty good. It was pleasing to the eyes. What didn’t go right during this? Abdullah’s classy batting and Fakhar’s sixers were all music to a cricket fan’s eyes.
• Abdullah is having a fantastic tournament so far. Today, he got fifty in 56 deliveries. The irony is that he scored these runs with the player he replaced in the earlier part of this championship.
• Fakhar got his 50 in 51 deliveries. He had been struggling, and people were discussing how his career was finished now. However, he answered every one with his bat. Fakhar did try to take the team closer to the 30-over mark; however, Miraz got the better of him.
• Pakistani skipper did come to finish the game. But this time, Iftikhar and Rizwan were the ones to score the final runs.
• The real question: Should Pakistan have scored these runs earlier? It would have taken their NRR in the positive region. This very well be the reason they may not play the semi-final again. The same thing happened last time.

Man of the match

Fakhar Zaman has to be the MOTM. He was struggling, he wasn’t scoring runs. However, he came back, and he came back with a bang. I am surprised they didn’t drop Imam sooner. Fakhar was the difference in the powerplay for Pakistan. He was the reason that Pakistan was chasing more than 300 runs consistently. What a knock!