World T20: Pakistan await Bangla Tigers

KOLKATA: Most teams would have fancied facing qualifiers Bangladesh first up in the World T20. Not Pakistan.
In fact, it's the Tigers who would be licking their lips at the prospect of devouring an opposition they have rolled over in each of their last five limited-overs meetings -thrice in ODIs and twice in T20 Internationals -the most recent being the Asia Cup win which sealed a berth in the final.
And it's not just their stranglehold over Pakistan that gives Bangladesh the edge in Wednesday's clash at Eden Gardens. They are in a rich vein of form, having beaten all but India in the Asia Cup and then won two matches to qualify for the main round of the World T20.

They boast of a batting line-up which is stronger than Pakistan's. Opener Tamim Iqbal's consistency, Soumya Sarkar's fluency, Sabbir Rehman and Shakib Al Hasan's power hitting and Mahmudullah's cultured strokeplay add up to give their batting both depth and balance.
And their pace-oriented attack of Taskin Ahmed, Al Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman and skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, backed up by spinners like Shakib and Arafat Sunny, has developed into a sharp bowling unit. Taskin's action was reported during their first qualifying match and he has undergone testing in Chennai, but he is free to play on till the report comes in.
Left-arm seamer Mustafizur, who was rested for the qualifiers to let a slight pain in his non-bowling shoulder heal, looked fine while bowling in the nets on Tuesday afternoon. Though Mashrafe said a decision on Mustafizur will be taken after consultation with the team physio, it would be a surprise if he doesn't feature in the XI.
In contrast, Pakistan look like a rudderless ship. Captain Shahid Afridi, who has hardly been contributing with the ball or bat, didn't turn up at the ground on Tuesday - perhaps a fallout of his 'got more love in India than at home' comment.

Pakistan's biggest problem is an anaemic top order, which has not fired. Mohammad Hafeez's unbeaten 70 in the warm-up match against a toothless Sri Lankan attack will boost his confidence, but Bangladesh could be a different kettle of fish.
Pakistan's best bet to turn the tide is born-again left-arm pacer Mohammad Aamir. The 23-year-old has impressed in every game he has played since his return to international cricket, including their only warm-up tie here. The best-case scenario for Pakistan would be for Aamir and the towering Mohammad Irfan to strike two-three early blows. If Tamim & Co. see off the first four overs without losing a wicket, Bangladesh would be difficult to contain. Especially as Wahab Riaz has been struggling for rhythm and they don't have quality or experience in the spin department.
The odds may be stacked against Pakistan, but as Mashrafe pointed out, they can be dangerous when pushed into a corner.