Pakistan will hope the team gets the job done against Bangladesh and regain confidence.
Smarting
from back-to-back losses at the hands of arch-foes India, Pakistan
will have their task cut out when they lock horns with a tricky
Bangladesh in a virtual semifinal of the Asia
Cup 2018 on Wednesday.
One
of the two teams will be heading home after their final Super Four
game at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium here and given the backlash
they received after the reverses against India, former world and
Asian champions Pakistan
will be eager to raise their game.
While
their batting has shown signs of improvement days after being bowled
out for 160-odd runs, more needs to be done if they are to make the
title clash, where India await.
The
struggling batsmen would do well to take a cue from the seasoned
Shoaib Malik, who has been one of the few impressive performers from
the side in the continental tournament, which they have won two
times.
However,
Pakistan's biggest concern is the poor form of pace spearhead
Mohammed Amir, who seems to have lost sting and is struggling to take
wickets, which is his primary job, and which was reiterated by his
skipper Sarfraz Ahmed on the eve of the group game against India.
Sarfraz's
words did not have the desired effect as Amir and Co failed to
deliver.
Pakistan
will hope the team gets the job done against Bangladesh and regain
confidence.
After
their nine-wicket humiliation at the hands of India, coach Mickey
Arthur said Pakistan have a huge task at hand.
"It's
a semi-final now. We have to find a way to dig ourselves out of the
hole we are in at the moment. We will come back from this. We are at
our best in must-win matches. That's when we come to the party,"
he said.
"I
believe in our players. I think they are a fantastic bunch of
players," he added.
Bangladesh
managed to scrape past a spirited Afghanistan in a last-over finish
to keep their hopes alive, and having produced decent performances,
save the loss against India, they will fancy their chances against
Pakistan.
Teams
(from):
Pakistan:
Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Sarfraz
Ahmed(captain), Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Shadab Khan, Mohammad
Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Usman Khan, Shaheen
Afridi, Asif Ali, Mohammad Amir.
Bangladesh:
Masrafe Bin Mortaza (captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad
Mithun, Litton Kumar Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Ariful Haque, Mahmudullah,
Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz,
Nazmul Islam Apu, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Haider Rony.
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