Pakistan will look beat hosts Bangladesh and move a step closer to making it to the last four of the ICC World Twenty20. Catch all live updates of the match.
Bangladesh host Pakistan in Group 2 of the ICC World Twenty20 at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. Follow all the live updates of the match here: (Live Scorecard | Text Commentary )
Pakistan are gearing up to take a step forward towards semi-final qualification as they aim to get past Bangladesh in the Group 2 League match of the ICC World Twenty20 today.
A victory against Bangladesh will officially end Australia's theoretical chance of qualifying for the last four as George Bailey's men can win only two matches from here on. The victory will also make the West Indies versus Pakistan clash on April 1 a virtual quarter-final, which will decide the second team from the group after India.
Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez said he is pleased arch-rival India have secured a semi-final berth at the ICC World Twenty20 because it gives other teams a clear scenario of what's needed to join them in the next stage.
"India has played very good cricket so far and it's good they are through and the rest of the teams know what it will take to advance," Hafeez said on the eve of Pakistan's next Group 2 game against Bangladesh. "The picture is very clear. We have to win every game to enter the semifinals."
For Bangladesh, they are hoping against hope that they are able to pull a coup of sorts by upsetting the Pakistan applecart. Their premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, in fact, made it clear that they are not even hoping for a semi-final berth at the moment.
"After losing the last two games, the morale is obviously down but the beauty of T20 cricket is that you can always come back in the next game. There's no team that can say it will win. It's so short, if you make a mistake, it's hard to come back. Mathematically, may be, we can qualify for semi-final, but it is very hard for us to win two games and qualify," Shakib said. (Read more )
Former Pakistani players Wednesday hit out after Bangladesh banned their own fans from waving non-Bangladeshi flags at the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 tournament. Hosts Bangladesh issued the order after an outcry over images of locals waving Pakistani flags during the recent Asia Cup.
Bangladesh were part of Pakistan before the 1971 war of independence, in which it says three million people were killed -- most at the hands of the army of the Islamic republic and its allied militias.
Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad said the move violated the spirit of the game. "I am surprised at the decision," Miandad said. "Cricket is a game which harbours sportsman spirit and this decision violates that spirit."
Another former captain, Mohammad Yousuf, urged the BCB to rethink. "I am sure that the BCB will take this decision back because it defies logic and I am sure the International Cricket Council will seek some explanation," Yousuf said. (Read more )
Teams
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain/wicketkeeper), Abdur Razzak, Al-Amin Hossain, Anamul Haque, Farhad Reza, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shamsur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Sohag Gazi, Tamim Iqbal, Ziaur Rahman
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Bilawal Bhatti, Junaid Khan, Kamran Akmal (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Sharjeel Khan, Shoaib Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Zulfiqar Babar
Story first published on: Sunday, 30 March 2014 10:46
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