Confident Tigers ready to land first blow

Deep down, Bangladesh know that the occasion is a rare one for them. They are in the “best possible shape” on the eve of a one-day international against Pakistan and following several disappointments and near misses, the hosts will be desperate to register their second limited-over win over their nemesis.

For the very first time against Pakistan, Bangladesh could pose a serious threat, particularly in an ODI series, as the two sides prepare to lock horns against each other in the first of the three ODIs today at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The first ball will be bowled at 2:30pm and the BTV and GTV will telecast the game live.

The Tigers will be led by ODI vice-captain Shakib al Hasan as regular skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza will serve his one-match suspension incurred during the recently concluded 2015 ICC World Cup due to slow over-rate.

That Bangladesh are the slight favourites is no surprise given their run of form in the last couple of months. The Tigers registered a series sweep over Zimbabwe at home in both Tests and ODIs before embarking on their World Cup journey. There, the Bangladesh cricketers rose to the occasion in style, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in history.

The batting department will be spearheaded by Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, the chief protagonists of the Tigers’ World Cup campaign, while the likes of Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman add some much-needed firepower.

Sabbir, in particular, is very much enjoying the limelight following his blazing century in the lone warm-up match against the visitors last Wednesday in Fatullah.

The same cannot be said of opener Tamim Iqbal, who has been experiencing tough times lately. The southpaw will be yearning to come back to form alongside the uncapped Rony Talukdar. Rony was rewarded for his tremendous form in the domestic circuit and the team management will be hoping for him to hit the ground running.

One factor which is in favour of Bangladesh is experience. While Pakistan boast Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal, two cricketers with more than 100 ODI caps to their names, the home side have five players – Mashrafe, Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiq and Mahmudullah – with more than 100 ODI appearances.

Ajmal’s return to the side after an eight-month hiatus, however, will boost the visitors’ chances. Pakistan ODI captain Azhar Ali, himself coming to the side after more than two years in the sidelines, will depend heavily on Ajmal and Hafeez while newcomers like Sami Aslam, Saad Nasim and Mohammad Rizwan will look to announce their arrivals in a grand style.

Pakistan’s strong forte is, however, their fast bowling department. Facing Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil and Rahat Ali, the Tigers batsmen will need to be on their toes against one of the world’s most potent fast-bowling attack.