Published: May 05, 2015, 05:16 PM (IST)
Edited: May 05, 2015, 05:16 PM (IST)
Bangladesh and Pakistan will play each other in the second and final Test of the two-match Test series at Dhaka starting from Wednesday. On a flat pitch at Fatullah, batsmen from both sides dominated proceedings, and the first Test of the series ended in a draw. Now in the final encounter of the tour, both Bangladesh and Pakistan will be looking for the knock-out punch.
For visitors Pakistan, this will be once last opportunity to salvage some pride after a devastating tour. After losing 0-3 in the One-day Internationals (ODIs) and 0-1 in the one-off T20 International (T20I), they failed to secure a victory in the first Test despite being in a position of power. This will be one last opportunity for Pakistan to end the tour on a high note.
Pakistan have called in Bilawal Bhatti as a backup for Rahat Ali for this game. However, any change in their playing XI is highly unlikely. The pitch at Dhaka is expected to be another batting paradise, so the batsmen are expected to do well here. If Misbah ul Haq’s Pakistan want the result to go on their favour, their bowlers need to put their hands up. It’s time for the senior pros like Saeed Ajmal and Wahab Riaz to take more responsibility. This is the time to show their true potential.
For Bangladesh, the batting unit has done fairly well. The record-breaking opening stand between Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes was the main highlights of the first Test. Once again, in Dhaka the likes of Tamim, Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and the young Soumya Sarkar are expected to do well. In the bowling department, Shahadat Hossain could replace the injured Rubel Hossain in the playing XI. The team management might look to give pacer Mohammad Shahid another opportunity as well.
Bangladesh have never beaten Pakistan in the longest format of the game. That being said, this impressive Bangla side has the potential to beat the No. 3 ranked Test team, Pakistan, and take the series. What an achievement that will be for the “Bangla-tigers!”
Squads:
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (c & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Litton Das, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Shuvagata Hom, Soumya Sarkar, Taijul Islam, Jubair Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Mohammad Shahid.
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sami Aslam, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali.
Time: 09:30 IST | 04:00 GMT | 10:00 Local
(Sandipan Banerjee is a reporter at CricketCountry. Cricket has been the biggest passion for him since his childhood. So, when it came to choosing his career, he chose to turn his passion into his profession. Apart from cricket he likes mountain trekking, river rafting, and photography. His twitter handle is @im_sandipan)
