A confident-looking Bangladesh will opt for a cautious approach when they take on the new-look Pakistan in the second one-day international of the three-match ODI series leading by 1-0 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday. A win in the day-night affair at the SBNS from 2:30 pm will ensure Tigers clinch a historic series win that can take the Bangladesh national cricket team’s portfolio to a new height.
Mashrafee bin Murtaza is ready to return and lead the side after being unable to play the opening game where Tigers defeated the tourists by 79 runs to break their 16-year losing jinx.
Pakistan are missing the services of senior players and had some major changes in the attack with Azhar Ali making his debut as skipper in the ODI format, hardly looked threatening at any point when they were comprehensively beaten in the first match of the series.
However, Mashrafee said that he doesn’t believe it would be a cake walk for the hosts and expects the tourists to come back hard at the Tigers.
‘I don’t think they are ordinary,’ said Mashrafee.
‘Their bowling unit of the last World Cup is there and perhaps it’s even better now,’ said Mashrafee.
‘Some players of that batting unit have retired and new players entered but even we have new players.
‘So, balance-wise they are not that far behind,’ said Mashrafee.
‘For a team to arrange themselves and come up it takes some time but I don’t think from a team’s perspective Pakistan are behind,’ he said.
Bangladesh is likely to exclude Abdul Hasan to include Mashrafee.
The team had a one and a half-hour meeting at the Surma where coach Chandika Hathurusinghe emphasised that players should only concentrate on one match at a time rather than thinking overboard of a 3-0 clean sweep.
Mashrafee also echoed the same sentiment, obviously in front of us there is a big opportunity.
‘Whenever we play at home and win one match everyone talks about whitewash known as ‘Bangla wash’, this is just an extra pressure’, Mashrafee said.
‘When we play a series the main thing is to win the next match and you all know this is what I was going to say and if we win that match.
‘You all know that we don’t play to lose the game and we are focused on the next match,’ he said
Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali said that they all know Bangladesh have a formidable squad at home but laid his confidence on his players who he believes would rise on the occasion.
‘We definitely had a lot of positives, Rizwan went out there under pressure and looked good. It’s very exciting for us that a player like this comes into international confidence’, Azhar said.
‘I know my team as a bowling unit they will bounce back, you will see a much more improved performance in the next game’, he added.
-With New Age input
