Bangladesh is set to get the test of 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup fever for the first time when they take on Pakistan in the first official warm-up game today (Sunday) at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The match starts on 3.30 PM (Bangladesh Standard Time).
Bangladesh will be looking forward to keep their winning momentum intact and get some good amount of confidence ahead of the showpiece event. It’s in fact the chance to fine tune the combination further and figure out what is imperative for team.
It will Bangladesh’s first match after lifting the trophy of the tri-series in Ireland, their first major trophy in a tournament involving three or more teams. So understandably they are high on confidence.
All of their star players have been in good form, much to the delight of the team management. The youngsters also stepped up along with the senior to make the things sweeter. Ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who didn’t play in the tri series final because of a side strain injury, seems to fit before this warm up match.
Bowling might be the area of concern for Bangladesh because the bowler’s performance weren’t up to the mark in Ireland.
Bangladesh will want to test their squad depth in this match in order to finding out the best combination for the upcoming world cup matches.
Rubel Hossain, who had just recovered from a side strain before travelling to Ireland for the tri-series, featured in one game for the Tigers during the tour, is looking forward to get an opportunity in the warm-up game.
The 29-year-old vowed to fight for his place in the team and perform during the upcoming World Cup warm-up matches against Pakistan and India in order to get an opportunity in the playing eleven at the coveted tournament.
“I am doing well. I am completely fit; I have been bowling at full speed in the four to five practice sessions,” Rubel told reporters after the practice session at Cardiff.
“There is definitely huge competition, but I will surely try my level best to play my best cricket for the team,” he said.
Although Rubel is an experienced pacer, he is well aware of the competition to book a spot in the playing eleven. Both Abu Jayed Rahi and Mustafizur Rahman had good performances in Ireland while Saifuddin is also proving his ability as a medium pacer.
As a result, Rubel is looking forward to the upcoming matches when Bangladesh take on Pakistan on 26th May and India on 28th May in Cardiff, to prove his worth. “I certainly want to perform well in the upcoming matches. They will be crucial for me to grab a spot in the playing eleven in the World Cup squad,” he added.
On the other hand, Pakistan will be eager to break their losing streak in the 50-over format as they would enter into the match with losing 10 matches in a row. To make the matter worse, they had also lost their first warm-up game to Afghanistan, creating a huge uproar in their country.
Just in 2017, they lifted the ICC Champions trophy in England by beating India, so it is no easy to write off the chance of Pakistan even they have been in losing streak.
Pakistan began their World Cup preparation in the worst possible manner as they were humbled by England 4-0 largely due to their tooth-less bowling attack as the English batsmen dominated their bowlers throughout the whole series.
Pakistan included Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz in their squad to improve their bowling but it seemed to have little impact following their three-wicket loss to Afghanistan.
Bangladesh squad:
Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah Riyad, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (captain), Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed Rahi, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosaddek Hossain.
Pakistan squad:
Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-Ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Hassan Ali, Abid Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Sohail.
