World Cup 2023, Match 31 | Pakistan Predicted XI vs Bangladesh

image-locvkenwPakistan will face Bangladesh in the 31st match of the World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

The 2023 World Cup has entered a crucial phase where every game is important for most nations. The 31st match will see Pakistan and Bangladesh square off in the prestigious Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The play is slated to commence at 2:00 PM IST.

Both sides haven't fared well in the World Cup so far. The Bangladesh side has been utterly shambolic and lost five matches after their win against Afghanistan in their competition opener. Their latest defeat came against the Netherlands who humiliated them in the city of joy. Bangladesh are languishing at the bottom of the table and their semi-final hopes are almost over being positioned at no. 9.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan have had a similar story as that of their upcoming opponents. Just the fact that the Men in Green are still in the qualification race as they won a couple of games at the start of the marquee event. Since their defeat to India, they failed to win the other matches. The Babar Azam-led unit incurred a horrendous defeat against Afghanistan and in their latest clash, South Africa toppled them despite being close to victory.

This is a do-or-die encounter for Pakistan and in such scenarios, they tend to come on top. Let us have a quick glance at Pakistan's predicted XI against Bangladesh.


Openers: Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman

Pakistan may tinker their opening combination for the game against Bangladesh. Fakhar Zaman may come in place of Imam-ul-Haq who has been out of form for quite some time now. He has got just one half-century in his last nine matches. Although Zaman was not in the best touch during the Asia Cup, he may come in due to his match-winning capabilities in big matches. It's a must win game for the Men in Green and Zaman has a history of impactful performances in high-octane clashes.

Abdullah Shafique should be the other opener for Pakistan. He is the second-highest wicket-taker for the Men in Green with 264 runs from five innings. He has one ton and two fifties so far in the mega-event. His presence at the top of the order has eased off slight pressure from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.


Middle Order: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel

Babar Azam was not in his best flair at the start of the quadrennial event but slowly and steadily got back in touch. He scored a brilliant fifty against India but unfortunately for him, it came in a losing cause. He also scored an impactful fifty in the last game against the Proteas and helped stabilize the innings and deny an early collapse.

Babar's partner in crime, Mohammad Rizwan has been the best batter of the team as per the statistics. He has notched up 333 runs from six innings and 522 runs in his last eight ODI innings. It includes two centuries. Rizwan's ton against Sri Lanka was one of the primary reason why Pakistan are still alive in the race for the semi-finals.

The number 5 spot has seen some good performance off the bat from Saud Shakeel. Just like Shafique, he is yet another individual who has lifted the batting and eased off additional reliability on the Babar-Rizwan duo. Shakeel has scored 212 runs from six innings so far. Many times, he has been on the verge of steadying the ship when the top order failed.


All-rounders: Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Muhammad Nawaz

Iftikhar Ahmed is one of the X-Factors of the Pakistan team. He can bring quick runs and is someone whom Pakistan can utilize in the third powerplay. He has also the potential to snare wickets with some part-time finger spin.

Shadab Khan and Muhammad Nawaz are likely to be the all-rounder pair for Pakistan in the upcoming match at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Although Shadab was injured in the last game against South Africa he may be fit to be back. If not, Usama Mir should replace him. But Shadab's batting has clicked in the last few games and he made some useful contributions with the bat.

Nawaz has been on the wrong side of some results. In the last game, he failed to keep things tight and spilled runs against Keshav Maharaj that stole the victory from the Asian nation. However, he can be a useful factor in Eden Gardens where left-arm orthodox spinners get decent help.

Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, and Haris Rauf

Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf are two important components of the Pakistan bowling set-up. The former bagged a fifer against Australia and has accumulated 13 wickets from six matches. The latter is the next best in the wicket-taking column for Pakistan and has scalped 10 wickets.

Their third pacer, Hasan Ali is yet to be fully recovered. However, he is likely to have a bowling practice session on Monday. Based on it, a decision might be taken. In his absence, Wasim Jr is the one that Pakistan will look forward to. He is a brilliant bowler and has a knack for wickets.


Pakistan Predicted XI against Bangladesh

Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Wasim Jr.