The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 continues to unfold exciting matches and intriguing scenarios, with a notable clash on the horizon between Pakistan and Bangladesh. As the two subcontinental teams prepare to face off at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, cricket expert Aakash Chopra shared his insights into the match, emphasizing Pakistan’s bowling challenges and Bangladesh’s batting struggles.
Chopra’s assessment suggests that Pakistan’s bowling unit has faced notable difficulties in the tournament. He acknowledged that Pakistan’s batting, including the likes of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, has displayed decent performances.
“The Pakistan openers have started scoring runs. Babar Azam has also scored runs. Mohammad Rizwan had also scored runs, the wagon has fallen off track a little, or else he was in the highest run-getters list. Iftikhar Ahmed and Saud Shakeel have also scored runs.”
He questioned their bowling has been less impressive. While Shaheen Shah Afridi continues to be a wicket-taking asset, Chopra raised questions about the rest of the bowling lineup, including concerns with Haris Rauf‘s performance. He did, however, note a decent showing by Mohammad Wasim in their previous match. The spin department, according to Chopra, has also been underwhelming.
Chopra said
“They are a decent team but bowling has been extremely weak. Shaheen is still a wicket-taker, he picked up a five-wicket haul as well, but who apart from him? Haris Rauf is not bowling that well. Mohammad Wasim was played in the last match and he bowled decently. Spin is going extremely ordinary.”
Shaheen Shah Afridi, with 13 wickets to his name, stands as Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in the tournament. However, Haris Rauf, despite picking up ten wickets, has struggled with an economy rate of 6.82 runs per over. The spinners, on the other hand, have been less effective, with none of them managing to secure more than three wickets while proving expensive.
Switching his focus to Bangladesh, Chopra identified batting as their major concern. Despite some promising performances from players like Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan, the overall batting display of the team has been ordinary. Shakib Al Hasan, a prominent figure in Bangladesh’s cricket, has notably underperformed with the bat during this World Cup. The team’s middle-order batsmen, including Mushfiqur Rahim, are also struggling.
“The way Bangladesh played the last match, they are playing extremely ordinarily. They bowl decently but in batting – Litton Das has played one-and-a-half good knocks – he started well against India and I think he played well in Dharamsala. You can forget about (Najmul Hossain) Shanto.”
“Tanzid (Hasan) has played one or two good knocks. Shakib (Al Hasan) hasn’t played a single good knock thus far. Mushfiqur (Rahim) did play two or three good knocks at the start but he is also stumbling slightly now. Mahmudullah struck a century but they have kept him at No. 7.”
The match between Pakistan and Bangladesh promises to be an intriguing encounter as both teams look to overcome their challenges and deliver standout performances in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
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