The Asia Cup 2023 will see its seventh match of the tournament between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Pakistan will face Bangladesh for the first Super Four match on 6th September at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Babar Azam is the skipper of Pakistan, while Shakib Al Hasan is the captain of Bangladesh. Both the teams played 2 matches and won 1 game each in the group stages.
Pakistan ended at the top position on the points table, with 1 win in 2 games. Their second game got abandoned due to rain. Their net run rate at the end of the group stages was +4.760. On the other hand, Bangladesh played 2 matches in Group B, where they won one and lost one. They ended at the second position on the points table with a net run rate of +0.373.
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Here are the top five players to watch out for during the Pakistan vs Bangladesh match:
1) Babar Azam
Pakistan captain Babar Azam posted the highest individual score by a captain in the Asia Cup when he made 151 against Nepal in the tournament opener. Azam has 5353 runs in 105 ODIs with 19 centuries and an average of 59.47, he is one ton away from equalizing Saeed Anwar’s record for most ODI centuries by a Pakistani.
2) Fakhar Zaman
The mercurial opener Fakhar Zaman couldn’t do much with the bat against Nepal, scoring only 14 runs. However, the impact he can have against Bangladesh is known to everyone, given that he is the only Pakistani to score a double ton in ODIs and also has a score of 195 in the format. Zaman overall has scored 3221 runs in 75 ODIs, including 10 centuries, at an average of 46.68.
3) Shadab Khan
Vice-captain of Pakistan Shadab Khan couldn’t pick any wicket against India but was excellent against Nepal, picking 4/27. He is the heart and energy of the Pakistan team, and in 61 ODIs, he has 81 wickets and 725 runs, with four fifties to his name. His performance against Bangladeshi players, who are good against spin, will be crucial on a flat Lahore pitch.
4) Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Mehidy Hasan Miraz got to open the innings against Afghanistan and hammered his second ODI century, and Bangladesh would love for him to continue doing so against tougher opposition Pakistan as well. It might be a tough task given that he would have to face Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Harris Rauf in today’s encounter.
5) Shaheen Afridi
One of the best pacers in the world, Shaheen Afridi, was the star against India, picking up four wickets, and he picked up two against Nepal as well. He got the ball to swing against India, and in Lahore, he will be lethal, to say the least, as it is his home ground in the PSL, as he captains the Lahore Qalandars and knows the pitch inside out.