Pakistan will face Bangladesh in a crucial match on Thursday, February 27, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Scheduled to begin at 2 PM local time (09:00 GMT), this encounter offers both teams an opportunity to salvage pride after being eliminated from the Champions Trophy during the group stages. Pakistan, who have struggled throughout the tournament, aim to conclude on a high note despite their early exit.
Pakistan's head coach, Aaqib Javed, emphasized the significance of playing for pride, even when the results do not impact their standing in the tournament.
“Every game is played for pride, so we want to leave a mark on Thursday,” – Aaqib Javed
Pakistan's performance has been below expectations, with losses in their first two group matches. The team has encountered difficulties with their batting lineup, fielding, and bowling—a fact not lost on Javed. He backed his pace trio, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, despite their struggles, claiming they remain among the best bowlers globally.
“People blamed two, three players, which is not correct,” – Aaqib Javed
The team's inability to carry the form from three successful ODI series into the Champions Trophy has been disappointing. Pakistan plans to make a few changes in their lineup for the upcoming match. Middle-order batter Tayyab Tahir might be replaced by Kamran Ghulam, while Usman Khan could take Imam-ul-Haq's spot. However, these changes will not alter their fate in the competition.
Pakistan holds a historical advantage over Bangladesh in all formats of cricket. In ODIs, they have bested Bangladesh 34 times out of 39 encounters. Notably, Bangladesh has never faced Pakistan in the Champions Trophy before. The last victory Bangladesh secured against Pakistan was during the World Cup 2023 in India.
Bangladesh has also faced its challenges in ODI cricket recently. They lost all three matches away to West Indies last December and suffered a 2-1 series loss against Afghanistan in November. Their struggle to find form makes the upcoming contest against Pakistan an opportunity to improve their standing.
The weather forecast suggests rain might impact the match on Thursday, potentially influencing the outcome. The possibility of rain adds an additional layer of unpredictability to an already tense encounter.
Aaqib Javed further elaborated on the team's mindset going into this game.
“There are no excuses, there shouldn’t be any in life, but I can assure you that the players are more hurt than the fans and want to leave a mark in the last game,” – Aaqib Javed
He reminded fans that despite recent defeats, the players have demonstrated resilience by winning series in tough conditions like Australia and South Africa.
“The players are not satisfied, no one is satisfied after losing, but everyone tries hard to win, and by doing so, we have recently won a series in Australia and South Africa.” – Aaqib Javed
“This is the Champions Trophy, where the eight best teams are playing, so after two defeats we have to start from zero,” – Aaqib Javed
Javed acknowledged the emotional weight of a previous loss to India and expressed a desire for his team to overcome such setbacks.
“People are more involved in an India-Pakistan match and they do not accept a defeat against India and that defeat in Dubai has left them more dejected,” – Aaqib Javed
Reflecting on past performances, he noted that inadequate scores could lead to aggressive strategies that might not always yield favorable results.
“We managed just 241 in batting and when facing a strong batting line-up, you attack in order to get wickets, and in the process, you bowl on both sides,” – Aaqib Javed
