The final league game: Is an upset on the cards?

Venue- Pallekele cricket stadium, Kandy

Time- 19:30 (IST)

Two sub-continent giants would lock horns in spin rivalry on Tuesday. With their fate yet to be decided, it promises to be a fierce contest. Both these teams have rather similar styles of play. They heavily depend on their bowling, especially the spin department. However, Pakistan holds the edge when it comes to the pace department and batting. Bangladesh would have learnt a lot from their previous outing against New Zealand. The spinners need to fire this time and the top order needs to take some responsibility. Nasir Hosain looked good but apart from him, all others just succumbed to the pressure of a huge total.

Pakistan would be riding high on the victory against an in form New Zealand side. Ajmal and Hafeez are bowling beautifully, Nasir Jamshed is striking the ball with some conviction and even the pacers are among the wickets. Pakistan just need to do the basics right in order to guarantee a place for themselves in the Super Eight. They have a superior NRR (net run rate) and just a close match would be enough for them to progress.

The tournament hasn’t been a very scintillating one as of now. An upset wouldn’t do any harm, but Bangladesh would have to play out of their skins in order to produce it.

Players to watch out for

Pakistan

Saeed Ajmal – He is the world’s best T20 bowler and did live up to his reputation against New Zealand. He tore the middle order apart by claiming 4 scalps. According to me, it would be his 4 overs which would determine the outcome of the game. If Bangladesh play him out for atleast 30 runs and give him no more than one wicket then they surely can cause the Pakistanis some problem. Ajmal’s variations would be tough to handle for the Bnagladesh left handers

Mohammad Hafeez – A brilliant all round performance against the Kiwis. This man can hurt you with his teasing offspinners and can also caress you through the field. A complete package, Hafeez would be an important exponent for Pakistan as he bowls those tight initial powerplay overs.

Shahid Afridi – On his day, he can tear oppositions apart. Hasn’t been in the best of forms with the bat or the ball but he has that knack for taking wickets in crucial encounters. Late down the order, Afridi can hit lusty blows into the crowd. His power hitting and quick leggies could rattle the opposition. With his quick leg spinners, he has the ability to hurry the batsman and ends up taking a lot of bowled and LBW dismissals.

Bangladesh

Shakib Al Hasan – He had a dismal previous outing against the Kiwis where he went for 10 an over and did not score much with the bat. He would be determined to prove his worth against Pakistan by contributing in all the departments. He has an additional responsibility of providing solidity at the top of the order. Along with Tamim, he needs to provide Bangladesh with the perfect start.

Abdur Razzak – He has been a big asset for the Bangladesh team. His slow left armers during the middle overs help to contain as well as frustrate the batsmen. Seldom do we see batsmen hitting and bludgeoning him away. The Bangladesh captain would expect a larger than life performance from him against a good Pakistan side so that they at least have a glimmer of hope of progressing to the super eights.

Head to head

Pakistan have never lost to Bangladesh in a T20 game. Surprising? Well, Pakistan have been the most succesful T20 side. They lead the head to head 6-0.

Prediction

Provided Shakib fires, Bangladesh could make it difficult for Pakistan. But Pakistan should be able to counter the Bangladesh challenge because of their superior all round game.