Asia Cup 2018: Super Four, Match 6, Pakistan vs Bangladesh - Toss Report

Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first against Pakistan in the sixth and final Super Four game of the Asia Cup at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

Here is what the captains said:

Mashrafe Mortaza:

“We would like to bat first. Looks a good wicket to bat on. Last match we lost many wickets but number 6 and 7 batted well. Hopefully we get a good start today. We have struggling with the top order but we’ll do well today. Shanto comes back into the side. We have quite a few changes. Rubel is back into the side. Shakib is not playing. Fans have been supporting througout the tournament.”

Sarfraz Ahmed:

“The conditions get different later in the night. I have asked the batsmen to play positive cricket. They have a good batting line-up. We’ll try to get them out early and chase it down later. Junaid Khan comes in for Mohammad Amir.”

Preview:

After winning against Afghanistan and losing against India, both Bangladesh and Pakistan are taking on each other in a virtual semifinal. It is a winner-take-all game. The winner of this tie will lock horns against India in the title-decider while the other will have to return home empty-handed.

Both the teams have looked inconsistent so far and need to address few issues before the big clash. Top-order’s failure will be a worry for either of the sides. Fakhar Zaman has been in poor form throughout while Bangladesh openers have also not been able to give their team a good platform.

Well, if this knock-out game gets anywhere close to some of the games witnessed in Super Four, it’ll be a match worth watching.

Playing elevens:

Pakistan:

Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed(w/c), Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Afridi

Bangladesh:

Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mominul Haque, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Mehidy Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman