Bangladesh and Pakistan will play a warm-up match at the Shere-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka.
Venue: Shere-e-Bangla stadium, Dhaka
Shahid Afridi has played down fears that Pakistan have a depleted pace attack. But the fact remains that they will rue the absence of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir. There is also the danger of the spot-fixing scandal affecting the team’s morale, something that Afridi was quick to dismiss.
Pakistan’s reliance on an aging Shoaib Akhtar, who will be assisted by Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq in the pace department, may not be enough. Also, Junaid Khan can, at best, be a surprise package as he is an unknown entity. But, Afridi is adamant Pakistan will fire.
Along with two specialist spinners in Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, Pakistan will also rely on Afridi and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez to add variety to their spin attack.
Captain Shakib al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Abdur Razzak will all be vital cogs in Bangladesh’s scheme of things and would provide the much-needed experience to a young side with an average age of around 24.
Bangladesh brushed aside Canada in their first match while this will be Pakistan’s first practice match. Imran Khan recently called them the 'worst-prepared' side. The team can prove him wrong, come Tuesday.
