Rawalpindi [Pakistan], February 27 (ANI): Hosts Pakistan will face Bangladesh in their last match of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy campaign at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
While there will be no progress to the semi-finals for either of these sides at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, there is still plenty to play for.
In front of their home fans, Pakistan will pull out all the stops to ensure they don’t finish their tournament campaign winless. While Bangladesh will be out to prove that they belong at this level of competition.
The pair will do battle in Rawalpindi, looking to avoid Group A’s bottom spot.
Recent form:
Pakistan: It’s despair for Pakistan, who won’t be defending their Champions Trophy title from 2017, having suffered back-to-back losses. New Zealand beat them by 60 runs in the tournament opener, before India claimed a six-wicket win in Dubai. Captain Mohammad Rizwan blamed ‘mistakes’ for their losses, which will no doubt be an area of focus against the Tigers.
Bangladesh: The Tigers have been starved of ODI success in recent times, dating as far back as their three-game series with the West Indies where they lost all three. They’ve lost both Champions Trophy matches so far off the back of inconsistent batting, an area they’ll look to try and tidy up against Pakistan.
Players in focus:
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan
As captain of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy side, Rizwan must stand up as a leader, not only with his captaincy but when he comes out to bat as well. He stuck around for a gritty 46 runs off 77 balls against India, as he and Saud Shakeel did their best to build a defendable total, but the innings went downhill fast once that pair was removed. He’ll know the onus is on him to score some runs if Pakistan are to finish their tournament on a high.
Bangladesh: Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Given his dual bat and ball role, Miraz has the potential to play a starring role for the Tigers. The right arm off-spinner is Bangladesh’s top-ranked ODI bowler (27th) and also bats up the order. But the 27-year-old is yet to fire in either of those disciplines at the Champions Trophy, having scored a total of just 18 runs from two knocks and remaining wicketless from 20 overs.
Squads:
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana. (ANI)
