This could have been an important fixture in this World Cup. But it is not going to be one. That’s because Pakistan and Bangladesh stand little chance of making this game meaningful. They win or lose, it’s not going to affect anybody. Pakistan, with two wins from six games, may still have a remote possibility based on the calculator. Bangladesh do not even have that, with one victory out of six.
So, what do they look forward to? Nothing.
It’s the misfortune of Eden Gardens that it is going to stage this affair with zero consequences. It should have been a grandstand outing in the city of Kolkata, which has both historical and geographic connections with these two countries. Both these sides could have offered a lot in terms of making this game an interesting contest.
Why is it that Pakistan against Bangladesh is going to be a virtual no-match? The answer is simple. These two teams have played some flat and ordinary cricket. Pakistan, especially, just fizzled out after a good start which included a World Cup record chase against Sri Lanka. Pre-tournament last-four favourites they were. This was an implosion of some order.
Babar Azam didn’t click. That should be the headline. One of the most talked about batters in world cricket, getting a chance to display his trade in batting-friendly conditions, and chalking up insignificant contributions, one after another. The captain actually impersonated the failure of the batting unit of his team, with the exception of Mohammad Rizwan. This hurt them big time.
The South Africa match was crucial. A win would have kept them in the hunt. They worked hard to reach a position from where they could force that win. What did they do? They bowled wide in the closing stages of that tense chase. One of the best bowling sides on paper, that was an abysmal show from them. Missing Naseem Shah cannot be an excuse for this.
Bangladesh have been a bigger letdown. Not expected to be title contenders, they were supposed to make things uncomfortable for some of the bigger teams. They have the potential to do that and have done it in the past. But come the big moment, and they just froze. Maybe because of the controversy over the exclusion of Tamim Iqbal or something else, they were just not there.
This could have been Bangladesh’s breakthrough World Cup. They are familiar with these conditions. They have able resources in batting as well as in fast and spin bowling. Pitches in India are something they should have relished. Call it stage fright or what you may, it did not happen. There can be no excuses. They paid the price because they were plain and simply inefficient.
Most matches in a World Cup have something to look forward to. Sadly, there is nothing of that sort about this one. Two teams will play. One will win. There is absolutely nothing that they will take home or give the watchers to cheer about. Will they think about this and take corrective measures? Time will tell.
Time and Venue Details
October 31. From 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Expected Conditions
Weather should be fine. Pitch condition is something that we will have to wait and see.
Possible XIs
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
Match-ups
Difficult to see enough motivation on either side. So not much on this front.
Team Speak
“We respect Bangladesh hugely. They’re a quality group of cricketers. We’ve had a good look at where we believe we can exploit their potential weaknesses and we know where their strengths are. So, we’re prepared well for Bangladesh.” – Grant Bradburn, Pakistan coach