Daily Times

ABU DHABI: Unpredictable teams can sometimes play thrilling games. And Bangladesh-Pakistan Asia Cup Super-Four knock-out encounter here on Wednesday (today) will not only determine India’s opponents in the final but can also prove a high-octane game. Pakistan can be a dangerous side in crunch situations while Bangladesh would see making the Asia Cup final a big step in their progress as an ODI force, especially with the World Cup now eight months away. Not making the final would be seen as a backward step for Pakistan’s ODI set-up, especially after their Champions Trophy triumph last year. But so far their average Asia Cup campaign goes with their recent trend of extreme highs and lows from series to series. In October last year, they beat Sri Lanka 5-0 before being blanked 5-0 by New Zealand. They beat Zimbabwe 5-0 in the last ODI assignment before the Asia Cup where they have won against Hong Kong and Afghanistan, but lost both times to India and comprehensively so.

Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik has asked former cricketers and nation to back the team ahead of all-important Super-Four match against Bangladesh. The Men in Green have faced severe criticism following their poor performance in the tournament so far, where they only managed to win two out of four matches. The Green Caps have suffered two humiliating defeats against arch-rivals India by eight and nine wickets respectively, whereas one of those wins came against Afghanistan in a nail-biter, courtesy Malik’s brilliance. The last defeat leaves Pakistan with one more chance to cement their place in the all-important final when they will face Mashrafe Mortaza-led unit.

But the 36-year-old, who is Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in the tournament so far with 181 runs at an average of 90.50, while talking to the media on Tuesday, said the team were inexperienced and needed backing at this stage.

“Yes we are going through a tough time,” said Malik. “We’ve lost two matches against India, but that is not the end of the world. It is the time to give these players confidence. We should not forget that majority of these players are still very young. We are still evolving as a unit and I can assure you that you will see some major changes in our plans and execution in the next match.”

Talking about team’s dismal performance against India, Malik said: “Obviously lack of experience is the difference between both teams. We have to look up to the Indian team and learn from it. The way they polish their players is exemplary for all of us.” Being the senior in this young team, Malik has more responsibility than just keeping his good form going and the 36-year-old revealed that he did share his views with the other batsmen. “These boys are extremely talented but the much-needed experience is missing,” he said. “The just have to learn to play according to the situation and I am sure they will make a comeback in the next match.”

Discussing about the playing conditions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Malik believes the pitches are not suited for runs in excess of 300. “These are not the pitches where team can target 300 or 350,” he said. “These are slow tracks and if you want to score big, you have to spend time in the middle.”

Talking about his own performances, Malik said that his focus was on playing according to the situation. “I don’t make things difficult for me and I don’t like putting extra pressure on myself,” he said. “I just try to play according to the demand of the situation.”

Pakistan would also have to pick up their fielding, having dropped too many catches in their last two matches against Afghanistan (five) and India (three). On top of these bowling and fielding woes, Pakistan also needs runs from three batsmen among their regular top six. Neither team can however be assured of everything going to plan. They are unpredictable and at times flawed, which usually makes for gripping viewing.

Squads:

Pakistan (probable): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Sarfraz Ahmed, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Usman Khan, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Liton Das 2 Nazmul Hossain Shanto, 3 Mohammad Mithun, 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Imrul Kayes, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 10 Nazmul Islam, 11
Mustafizur Rahman.

Published in Daily Times, September 26^th 2018.