This match rendered inconsequential courtesy India’s win over Sri Lanka yesterday could see Pakistan give rest to couple of players and give some other players a chance. Shoaib Malik should take this opportunity and take rest to avoid worsening his health. That will mean another day at the helm for Misbah and he would try to impress a few. Pakistan may give Wahab Riaz another chance. Pakistan need to win this one because a loss here would pinch for a long time as they have a fifty day break from international cricket after this tournament.
For Bangladesh, each international game is as big and they would want to clinch a win here to silence those who question their test status. They must look to give Shahriar Nafees a chance in place of Nazimuddin. They need Abdur Razzak and Mashrafe Mortaza to do well and be confident for the future tournaments.
Look Out For
Salman Butt – He didn’t cash on the superb form he came into the tournament with. He would want to set record straight with a big score tomorrow.
Saeed Ajmal – He has a big turning Doosra and Bangladesh batters may find it too hot to handle. He needs to bring in an element of surprise by altering his line for the Doosra and turning it lesser but against Bangladesh he could be a handful.
Tamim Iqbal – He has all the talent in the world. All he needs a bit more maturity and a sense of responsibility. He would like to get a big score tomorrow and a weak Pakistani bowling line up will only make things easier.
Shahadat Hossain – He has worked up some pace in this tournament. If he bowls a on a tight leash, he could turn the heat on.
Probable starters:
Pakistan:Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik (C), Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed (WK), Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar, Abdur Rauf
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees, Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful (C), Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Alok Kapali, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Mehrab Hussain Jnr, Mashrafe Mortaza (VC), Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain
Verdict: Pakistan although depleted but should be enough for Bangladesh. Pakistan should cruise through; otherwise it will have to be Pakistan loosing the match rather than Bangladesh winning it.
This is a do or die match for India. They need to win this won or else their fate will fall in hands of Bangladesh. A loss here and Pakistan could run away with the second spot in the final with just a moderately big win over Bangladesh.
But the Indian team would do well not to think about this and concentrate on the game at hand. They could be further aided if Sri Lanka decide to rest some of their key players. India need to show some resilience while fielding and bowling and would do better with Ojha coming in place of Chawla. Dhoni might look to bowl first, as his batsmen have shown good form but India would be better served not trying this against Sri Lanka who have a little better bowling unit then others.
People have gone on criticizing the pitches but the fact is that the bowlers have made the pitches look even worse. Would the likes of Brett Lee, Zaheer Khan, Dale Steyn etc been the same here? In fact Vaas has bowled quite well. Others bowlers lack the experience and that’s why they have been taken to the cleaners. It is not about the runs they have conceded but the manner in which they have bowled.
Irfan Pathan and Praveen Kumar have a some experience and must take the responsibility on their shoulders and the fielders need to show a bit more commitment.
Look Out For
Virender Sehwag – After seeing the bowling form of most bowlers even 325 runs don’t seem enough. India will need Sehwag to fire big if they are to get past that score against Sri Lanka.
Pragyan Ojha – He bowls with a lot of control and could bag some crucial wickets if he lures the batters with flight.
Mahela Jayawardene – He hasn’t had much to do in this tournament thus far but will look to be in good form ahead of Sunday’s final.
Dilhara Fernando – He has some pace up his sleeve and probably has the most well disguised slower ball in the world. He would like to prove his critics wrong and cement a place in the side.
Pakistan have had the nag of playing poorly in the run up and then striking gold in the big clashes. This is what they did to India in the tri nation series. India would like to shut out Pakistan right here and they will have great help with Asif and Gul not in the side. The return of Irfan Pathan will bolster the Indian bowling and India may go in with five bowlers including two spinners. Watching Ojha and Chawla bowl in tandem is a mouth watering prospect. Pakistan on the other hand will be banking on the in form Malik and Younis to score big and Tanvir to provide some early breakthroughs.
Apart from Tanvir and Afridi who have accuracy up their sleeves, other Pakistani bowlers are likely to find going tough. They may rope in spinner Saeed Ajmal. Winning the toss will be a distinct advantage as the teams would love to bat first. But at the same time teams could falter aiming high.
Shoaib Malik needs his men to perform to save his job at the helm. As the Pakistan Board has been going about for years, a loss here could see Malik sacked.
Look Out For
Virender Sehwag – He has been adequately rested recently and the freshness has had a positive effect on his hunger. If he handles Tanvir carefully, he could score big.
Pragyan Ojha – He has more control than Piyush Chawla and he may be crucial in middle overs where most other bowlers have leaked runs.
Shoaib Malik – He is under pressure to perform and with Butt’s indifferent form Malik needs to hold fort and rotate strike and ask others to go for big hits.
Sohail Tanvir – Tanvir is a very different bowler in terms of his run up and bowling action and is generally not easy to score off even on placid tracks but with not much firepower elsewhere, Pakistan will be looking up to him for an early breakthrough.
Pakistan:Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik (C), Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed (WK), Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar, Wahab Riaz
Verdict: Pakistan will be hoping that they win the toss so the pressure isn’t directly on their weak bowling. Even if they bat first, it might prove a task too mighty.
India have looked the most impressive team in the tournament so far and this match could be the do or die encounter for Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In all likeliness the team that wins this match will advance to the final along with India. Pakistan would like to reach the finals in the first Asia Cup in Pakistan while Sri Lanka would like to maintain their record of reaching the final in each edition of the Asia Cup.
Pakistan have been hit very badly with the absence of Gul and Asif. Fawad Alam has been dismal to say the least and Pakistan will have to play Saeed Ajmal in his place today. Wahab Riaz will come in place of Gul. Pakistan will bank on Butt, Younis, Yousuf and Malik at the top during batting and on Tanvir and Gul while bowling.
Sri Lanka in fact have a happy problem where they need to find a place for Udawatte in a packed batting order. They probably will leave him out in this match. Absence of Malinga and Maharoof has weakened the bowling a bit and not so good form of Murali isn’t happy news as well but they will look towards Jayasuriya, Vaas and Murali to stand up and be counted in this big match.
Look out For
Shoaib malik - If he stays on the crease with the same grit and determination early on then he will go ballistic later on.
Sohail Tanvir - He hasn’t had the same success after IPL and would be looking to make his mark in this big match.
Sanath Jayasuriya - He was dropped for the series in West Indies and would like to score big here to hit back hard.
Muttiah Muralidharan - Its high time he wields his magic in this tournament or his team could be packing the bags early.
Probable starters:
Pakistan:Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik (C), Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed (WK), Sohail Tanvir, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Rao Iftikhar
Verdict: Pakistan started the tournament as a stronger force than Sri Lanka but the exit of Gul has brought the teams on level. An innings from Jayasuriya or Sangakkara at the top might just make it Sri Lanka’s night.
After a not so exciting first round fans will be looking forward to a few intriguing clashes with the four bigger teams, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the fray in the Super Four. India and Sri Lanka will start as favorites to move into the finals as they carry two points each from the group phase courtesy wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh respectively.
India and Sri Lanka need to win two of their three matches in Super Four to advance to the final while Pakistan need to win all three to avoid the hassles of net run rate. India and Sri Lanka also need to win at least two of the three matches to reach to the final. Only one win will have them on four points and at a lower net run rate, as the only the points and not the run rate of the match are carried on from the group phase. Amidst all these Bangladesh could spoil the party of one of three giants.
Exploring a possibility where India wins all its matches in the Super Four, interesting implications follow:-
If Sri Lanka defeat Pakistan and Bangladesh, they go through.
If Pakistan wins it’s other two matches and Sri Lanka defeat Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be locked at four points each. This situation will favor Pakistan as Sri Lanka will not carry the positive run rate they earned in the first round.
India look the strongest of the three sides and Sri Lanka are the second most favored team to reach the finals. But leaving aside all the possibilities and probabilities the three matches involving the three giants promise a feast ahead.
