Pakistan vs Bangladesh, 2020: 3rd T20I: Match Prediction – Weather Report, Pitch Conditions, Playing XIs and Live Streaming Details

Soumya Sarkar tweaked his hamstring in the previous game when he came out to bat.

Published - 26 Jan 2020, 16:27 IST | Updated - 26 Jan 2020, 16:27 IST

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Pakistan have been pretty dominant thus far in their T20Is against Bangladesh. The hosts have already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead with a solitary game remaining on Monday, January 27 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Prior to the series, the home team called back veterans- Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik and the decision has paid dividends as both have shone with the bat.

Their bowling hasn’t allowed the Tigers to get control after which the Pakistan top and middle-order hasn’t found it tough. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have felt the absence of Mushfiqur Rahim. Despite getting the platforms to launch, their batsmen couldn’t put up significant scores on the board. All the visitors would wish for is to evade a series defeat and salvage some pride with a win.

Pitch and Conditions

The pitch on Saturday’s match was a tad better for batting than the one in the first game. Yet it was on the slower side and bowlers were able to put a lid on the run-scoring. Batting first should be the way forward, but Pakistan won’t mind chasing either. The conditions will be cloudy, but with no chances of rain. The temperature will be around the 16 degrees Celsius with the humidity in the 70s.

Team Combination

Pakistan

Being a dead rubber, Pakistan may resort to a few changes. Fast bowler Muhammad Musa may come in place of Mohammad Hasnain. Shaheen Shah Afridi has led the bowling attack with two wickets at an economy of 5.62. Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan and Hasnain also have two wickets each.

Imad Wasim hasn’t given much away either, though he is yet to get a wicket. In batting, Mohammad Hafeez is high on confidence after his 67*, Babar Azam also made amends with an unbeaten 66 after bagging a duck in the opening encounter. The onus will also be on Shoaib Malik in the middle order.

Probable XI

Babar Azam (C), Ahsan Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain/Muhammad Musa

Bangladesh

It won’t be a surprise of the Tigers bench Mustafizur Rahman. The left-hander has a solitary wicket at an economy of 9.85. Rubel Hossain, who was in good form in the 2019-20 BPL, may get a chance. Shafiul Islam has three wickets, but the pacer has shown signs of deviating from the right channels.

Al-Amin Hossain has been frugal with an economy of five. Bangladesh’s batting has looked short of gas. Tamim Iqbal has 104 runs, but he hasn’t been able to get the quick boundaries. The rest of the batters have been inconsistent. Sarkar tweaked his hamstring last time and Mithun may replace him.

Probable XI

Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Naim, Mahedi Hasan, Liton Das (wk), Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Mahmudullah (C), Soumya Sarkar/Soumya Sarkar, Aminul Islam Biplob, Shafiul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman/Rubel Hossain, Al-Amin Hossain