With Bangladesh having a realistic chance of securing a historic Test series win in Pakistan, the second and final Test of the ongoing series is set to commence on Friday, 30th August in Rawalpindi.
Match Preview:
The first Test could not have gone worse for the home side – skipper Shan Masood failed with the bat on both occasions, their best batter Babar Azam scored a duck in the first innings, and Masood decided to declare when the scoreboard read 448 for 6 on the 2nd day only for his bowlers to toil in the heat of Rawalpindi for the next 167 overs. On a pitch so lifeless that it even made Naseem Shah publicly lash out at the preparation of pitches at home, green shirts suffered from another batting collapse of epic proportions in the 2nd innings as they were bundled out for 146. Did I mention that Bangladesh cruised home with all 10 wickets in hand?
But that’s all in the past now and if Pakistan want to avoid another whitewash at home, they must regroup quickly. Bangladesh players, on the other hand, have all the reasons to enter the stadium in a much more positive mood. Veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim smashed a brilliant 191 in the opening Test of the series, but it was the spin duo of Shakib Al Hasan, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, that turned the match on its head on Day 4 and 5.
The visiting side hardly put a foot wrong in the 1st Test and if Pakistan continue to make the same unforced errors, Bangladesh are in with a real chance of securing a 2-0 series win away from home as well as their 8th Test victory away from home. The stakes couldn’t have been higher!
Pitch and Weather Report:
Just as it has been the norm whenever Pakistan play Test matches at home, the pitch prepared for the first Test became the focus of attention, even taking Pakistan’s assistant coach Azhar Mahmood by complete surprise. It’s no secret that the Pakistan management desires and wants a pace-friendly surface, and the new pitch for the 2nd Test does have more tinge of grass. But whether or not the new surface provides support to the fast bowlers to a significant extent remains a mystery.
What’s not a mystery however is that Pakistan is currently in the middle of the annual monsoon season and the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have recorded significant rainfall since the culmination of the 1st Test. Expect rain to play some part throughout the next five days.
Head-to-Head Record:
Both sides have faced each other 14 times in the red-ball format with the green shirts winning 12 of these fixtures. Apart from the drawn game at Khulna in 2015, Bangladesh’s victory in the first Test was their first-ever Test win over Pakistan.
Predictions:
Despite Bangladesh’s superlative performance in the opening Test, expect the home side to put up a much better fight in order to avoid a humiliating series defeat. Having lost 4 Test matches on the trot as the Pakistan skipper, and with the series – and perhaps his captaincy tenure – hanging in the balance, this is the time for Shan Masood to lead his side with unparalleled vigor and passion.
Playing XI:
Pakistan:
Shaheen Afridi has been dropped from the 12-man squad while Abrar Ahmed is likely to find a place in the playing XI, not least because the spinners from the opposing team were so effective in the 2nd innings of the opening fixture.
Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Ali/Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad
Bangladesh (Probable XI):
Following one of their greatest away Test wins of all time, Bangladesh are likely to go with the same combination.
Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed
Where to watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad
Bangladesh: Rabbitholebd.com
India: The Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test series will not be streamed or telecast in India.
Others: CricHD
