Bangladesh beat Afghanistan to set up a virtual semi-final with Pakistan in the final Super Four match.
Pakistan lost their second meeting with India in the second round of Super Four matches, but will have a chance to book a third meeting with their fierce rivals.
Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Wednesday, 26 September | Sheikh Zayed Stadium | 13:30
To Win Match
Pakistan 34/100
Tie 35/1
Bangladesh 9/4
Pakistan
Pakistan have not played their best cricket in the tournament so far, with wins against Hong Kong and Afghanistan failing to offset weak displays against India.
Shoaib Malik has proven to be Pakistan’s rock and most consistent player, while the exciting youngsters ahead of him in the batting order haven’t quite found their best form.
Left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir, meanwhile, is suffering through a difficult dip in his ODI numbers, with his bowling average for 2018 ballooning over 100 after another wicketless match against India.
Pakistan will need to remain focused on the task in front of them, but could be forgiven for a certain level of preoccupation with India, who have looked in another class even without star skipper Virat Kohli.
Facing a resilient opponent Pakistan, will need to be clinical and wary of the Tigers’ lower-order fightbacks.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh dug deep to beat Afghanistan to earn revenge for their group stage defeat – and add a potential place in the final for the third tournament in a row to the stakes for their meeting with Pakistan.
The Tigers’ top-order has been inconsistent in the absence of the injured Tamim Iqbal, who fractured his hand in the opening game, but the middle- and lower-order have shown a lot of guts.
Half-tons from Mohammad Mahmudullah and Imrul Kayes carried the day against Afghanistan, but they will need the top four to get as close to the 40-over mark as possible to give themselves a chance on the slow turners.
Mustafizur Rahman has looked close to his best – and he was the hero against Afghanistan as well, defending just eight runs in the final over of the crucial clash.
Verdict: Pakistan 34/100
Pakistan have too much quality with both bat and ball to allow Bangladesh to sneak past them without a major implosion.
