PAK vs BAN Live Score: ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is nearing its business end & we have our top four teams in the face South Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand. But today there is a clash of teams that lies at the bottom of the Points table. Yes, we are talking about Pakistan & Bangladesh! Match 31 will witness Pakistan lock horns with Bangladesh with the motive of keeping their playoff hopes alive. Pakistan who were once favorites to win the tournament lies on the bottom of the Points table. They have lost four games in a trot and have a poor NRR of -0.387. They will now have to win their remaining clashes & hope for other results going in their way order to fix their spot in the playoffs. Pakistan’s next clash is against Bangladesh who themselves had an immensely forgettable campaign. They have just suffered a defeat by the Netherlands & will be aiming to bounce back against Pakistan who themselves are in a state to bother.
PAK vs BAN Teams Preview
Pakistan Preview
Pakistan is coming into this clash on the back of a one-wicket defeat at the hands of Proteas who managed to chase the target of 271 runs with 16 balls to spare. The loss meant Pakistan has suffered defeat in four fixtures in a row. The last fixture they won was against Sri Lanka on October 10 & since then they are yet to register a win in the tournament.
The Men in green need to pull up their socks & win the remaining fixtures in order to stay alive in the tournament. Their batting order looks inconsistent & their bowling attack has suffered major setbacks. They need to display an overall show in order to win their remaining matches & stay alive in the tournament. Captain Babar Azam hopes to lead the team from the forefront & deliver on occasions when the team needs them the most. Babar has so far scored three fifties but doesn’t look in flow. He has to amass crucial runs & guide Pakistan to a decent total. He will get good support from Mohammad Rizwan who has so far scored 333 runs in 6 innings & is the leading run-scorer of the tournament. Middle-order batter like Abdullah Shafique (264 runs in 5 innings at 52.80)  who is consistent so far will aim to continue his good show with the willow.
In the bowling order, the return to form of Shaheen Afridi is a major positive for them. His spell of  3-45 from 10 overs helped Pakistan stay alive in the contest till the very end, and he is likely to make things difficult for Bangladesh’s batters. Afridi will get valuable aid from Mohammad Wasim Jr and Haris Rauf was also impressive in that match against South Africa. Bangladesh’s batting order looks inconsistent in the tournament & Pakistan pacers could take full advantage of their inconsistent form.
Pakistan Predicted Playing XI:
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf
Bangladesh Preview
Coming to Bangla Tigers, this season has been forgetful for them as after their maiden win in this edition of the tournament Bangladesh has lost five matches at a trot. In their last game, Bangladesh was bowled out for just 142 runs chasing a mammoth target of 230 runs against Netherlands at the Eden Gardens. That defeat has pushed Bangladesh to the ninth spot on the Points table with an NRR of -1.338. Bangladesh still has three matches & could end the tournament on a high note by winning all three of them. Bangladesh’s batting hasn’t clicked in unison so far in the tournament. In fact, his compatriots Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, and captain Shakib Al Hasan too couldn’t convert their starts into big scores.
Shakib will be eager to bounce back & win this fixture after a string of poor scores. His average of 43.28 against Pakistan in ODIs will perhaps give him the confidence to finally break the shackles. Mahmudullah has been the most consistent batter in the tournament & is the only one from Bangladesh to register a ton in the tournament. Bangladesh’s hope of delivering with the willow will be on Mahmudullah.
Among the bowlers, Shoriful Islam is their standout bowler with 8 wickets in 6 innings at an economy of 6.50. It’s the spinner who has been consistent in the tournament. Shakib Al Hasan (7 wickets), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (6 wickets), and Mahedi Hasan (6 wickets) have all done a fantastic job. They have kept their things tight & managed to scalp quick wickets giving a scare to their opponents. On this pitch, these three spinners along with Mustafizur Rahman, will be quite a handful against the Pakistani batting unit.
Bangladesh Predicted Playing XI:
Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam
PAK vs BAN Pitch & Weather Conditions
The pitch at Eden Gardens is a balanced one, in the beginning, batters won’t find it easy to score runs however after a few overs they will find it easy to make strokes & score runs. The boundaries are short aiding the batters to score runs freely on this pitch. The weather in Kolkata will be hazy but pleasant and cool for the most part of the day.
The average first innings score at Eden Gardens is 235 & the highest total posted here is 404-5 against Sri Lanka in 2014. After batting first, Netherlands scored 229 runs & bowled out Bangladesh for 142. The team batting first in this match should look to set a target of around 270-280 runs.
Toss to Bat
Batting first is the safest bet at this pitch as out of 32 ODIs played here 19 have been won by the team batting first. Thus the team winning the toss should opt to bat first here.
PAK vs BAN Winning Prediction
There have been just two ODI World Cup encounters between Pakistan & Bangladesh & both the teams have won one match each. Though Pakistan lost four matches on the trot they looked more settled & stable than Bangladesh. Pakistan undoubtedly will be the favorite to win this clash against struggling Bangladesh.
We Predict Pakistan to win this clash against Bangladesh
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