MIRPUR: Pakistan will play their third match of Super 10 stage against hosts ‘Bangladesh’ on Sunday at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur after the long gap of six days.
A lot has happened since Pakistan's high-octane win over Australia on March 23 in Group 2. India have qualified for the semi-final spot with three consecutive victories, Australia are all but out, while West Indies have become Pakistan's closest rivals for a place in the last four.
Looking at the points table, it’s easy to conclude that Australia and Bangladesh have slim chances of progressing and the match between Pakistan and West Indies on April 1 could be a quarter-final. Before that, however, Pakistan must ensure they don't slip against Bangladesh.
Pakistan is a confident side because of a 16-run win over Australia. Bangladesh, on the other hand, are having a horror season, and now have three successive defeats in the tournament. Their defeat to West Indies on Tuesday was their second-worst by margin of runs in the format and was followed by a big loss to India.
The semi-finals look out of their reach, especially given their record of never having beaten a top-eight team in a Twenty20 other than West Indies.
From Pakistan point of it’s a must win game as if they beat Bangladesh, they won't need to worry about net run-rates, unless there is a washout.
Pakistan enjoyed a commanding record against Bangladesh and never lost any T20 match. The two teams had played three World Cup before in 2007, 2010 and 2012 and Pakistan win all of them.
