Pakistan are already out of their home tournament and have nothing to play for but pride. Some are not even playing for their futures. There are question marks over the longevity of a host of players in this format, notably Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. Babar Azam has also come in for heavy criticism.
It is true that losing Fakhar Zaman to injury was a major blow. But it was a major surprise that when afforded the opportunity of a squad change they didn’t bring in a specialist spinner for their must-win clash in Dubai against India. The whole cricketing world knew spin was crucial yet they did nothing about it.
They even passed up the chance to play Kamran Ghulam and his useful slow left-arm spin. Surely he plays here in place of Tayyab Tahir who looks out of his depth? Afridi or Rauf or both could lose their spot to Muhammad Hasnain and Faheem Ashraf respectively as both have been exotrionate
Possible XI:
Imam, Babar, Shakeel, Rizwan, Salman, Ghulam, Khushdil, Faheem, Naseem, Hasnain, Abrar
Bangladesh, predictably, have not troubled the scorers but they had their moments in both games when perhaps a bit more nous or a dash of brilliance could have caused a shock.
They had a whiff of a sensation when troubling India briefly bowling second in Dubai. Likewise New Zealand in their last outing defending a small score. The emergence of new-ball pacer Nahid Rana will give them confidence.
There is an injury doubt surrounding Jaker Ali. His runs will be missed and if he is out, Soumya Sarkar could return, slotting in towards the top of the order.
Probable XI: Tanzid, Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur, Mahmudullah, Jaker/Sarkar, Hossain, Taskin, Mustafizur, Nahid Rana.
Pitch Report: Rain in Rawalpindi washed out Australia-South Africa without a ball bowled and the forecast makes for grim reading again. It seems unlikely that we will get a full game so a 20-over contest is the best to hope for. If they do get out there the heavy rain and moisture in the air on an already sticky wicket may make batting tricky.
Prediction- back Bangladesh