ICC World Cup 2023: Bangladesh v Pakistan | Match 31 | Kolkata | 31 October | Pre-Match Discussion

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It's not a fact. NZ can choke. Chances are we won't make it but its hardly impossible.
My friend , even if you reach semi final , what will Pakistan do ? Spoil a semi final by playing below average cricket ?

Pakistan Team lacks game awareness and planning completely. Within a month Pakistan would be playing Australia in Perth , do they know who will be there 3 main fast bowlers ?

Pakistan have been loosing Tests since decades in Australia , what preparation have they done for that ? Absolutely nothing. Any other team would feel hurt and would at least try to draw a test match.
 
My friend , even if you reach semi final , what will Pakistan do ? Spoil a semi final by playing below average cricket ?

Pakistan Team lacks game awareness and planning completely. Within a month Pakistan would be playing Australia in Perth , do they know who will be there 3 main fast bowlers ?

Pakistan have been loosing Tests since decades in Australia , what preparation have they done for that ? Absolutely nothing. Any other team would feel hurt and would at least try to draw a test match.

Fair points but always hope anyway. Seems like we are getting a complete revamp after this WC anyway
 
I believe, Bangladesh is in for an epic phainty of sorts from Pakistan.

If Pakistan wins toss, should bat first on the two paced Eden Gardens wicket.

Give them hell #CorneredTigers😤
 
Pakistan to win this one.

Bangladesh unfortunately will be at the receiving end of an angry team’s wrath.

How can you say this? Bangaldesh beat Afghanistan which Pakistan.

Pakistan faced Afghanistan after being mauled by India and Australia and still managed to capitulate on historic proportions.

Going by current trend, it might very well be Bangladesh that unleashes hell on Pakistan.
 
Fakhar should come in for Imam. Fakhar was fielding in the previous game.
Shadab might not play due to concussion. Nawaz is unselectable right now. Saud can bowl some handy left arm spin. Maybe going in with 4 pacers and Usama/Iftikhar would be okay here considering our spinners aren't doing what spinners are supposed to.
 
Fair points but always hope anyway. Seems like we are getting a complete revamp after this WC anyway

The solution is making long term plans , and stop getting afraid if you lose in the way some games. If you want a proper director in cricket get right coaches like Andy Flower , Rixon , etc .

Have a solid pool of players for different formats.

Bring back longer formats for youngsters in domestic circuit . You need proper batsmen who can construct the innings who can adapt according to situation. Bowlers who can bowl longer spells.

Make a limit to 20 20 leagues a player can play.

Try and make sure Team plays at least 12 test Matches a year. Organize A Team tours to places like Australia , SA , England etc.
 
Fakhar should come in for Imam. Fakhar was fielding in the previous game.
Shadab might not play due to concussion. Nawaz is unselectable right now. Saud can bowl some handy left arm spin. Maybe going in with 4 pacers and Usama/Iftikhar would be okay here considering our spinners aren't doing what spinners are supposed to.
Babar himself can bowl a few overs , why not ?
 
Babar himself can bowl a few overs , why not ?
Babar isn't a very good spinner. But Saud actually is a decent left armer. Bowled decently in England ODIs during his debut series bowling economically and taking a wicket or two.
 
Babar isn't a very good spinner. But Saud actually is a decent left armer. Bowled decently in England ODIs during his debut series bowling economically and taking a wicket or two.
Babar , Fakhar , Saud all can bowl , now it is a different issue Pakistan does not have the vision to utilize it and play different kind of combinations. Captains like Dhoni , Ganguly Ranatunga etc have used part timers brilliantly.
 
Babar isn't a very good spinner. But Saud actually is a decent left armer. Bowled decently in England ODIs during his debut series bowling economically and taking a wicket or two.

Babar used to bowl during U-19 days (if I am not wrong).

I feel like he should develop his bowling so that he can chip in with 3-4 part-time overs (Aamir Sohail used to do that).
 
Babar , Fakhar , Saud all can bowl , now it is a different issue Pakistan does not have the vision to utilize it and play different kind of combinations. Captains like Dhoni , Ganguly Ranatunga etc have used part timers brilliantly.
Yes Dhoni was pretty good in utilizing the likes of Kohli and Raina.
We can actually use a dibbly dobbly seam up bowler who can use variations. Such bowlers can be very useful on these pitches.
I don't know if the likes of Fakhar, Babar and Saud have bowled in the nets in months.
 
Babar used to bowl during U-19 days (if I am not wrong).

I feel like he should develop his bowling so that he can chip in with 3-4 part-time overs (Aamir Sohail used to do that).
Yes he did. Think he had to remodel his action due to chucking as well.
He did take a wicket against Ban in test series in 2021 i remember.

But Saud is probably the most developed bowler out of all 3.

Pak needs a batter who can bowl the way the likes of Styris, Collingwood, Astle etc used to do. Give Pak the option of 5-6 overs in the middle overs. Those kind of bowlers are especially useful in bringing the RR down in the middle overs. The art of utilizing the part timers has been getting lost in last 7-8 years. Glenn Philips and Travis Head are the only two who do it often these days (NZ and Aus think tanks have always been pretty smart)
 
Pak will win comfortably. BD has already checked out and are in a really bad place. They know they will get huge backlash from their board, government and fans. Most of their seniors career is coming to an end after this WC. Pak give them a one last phainty for ages. That will be kind of deserving send off off to Mushi and Shakib
 
Yep we need fast bowlers who can bat.

We also need a proper AR
And also a spinner who can bat.

Imad wasim???? Average of 40. Yea sure his bowling is average but look at those stats
Rather him than nawaz anyday.

Fgs

Imad wasim at 7
Shadab at 8
Wasim jnr 9
Rauf
Shaheen

When naseem comes back it will be alot better.
 
Fakhar Zaman after the defeat against South Africa:

"If you see, historically we don't accept defeat,"

"Everyone in the squad is hopeful of winning the last three matches and after the way we fought against South Africa we are sure of a comeback."

"It's disappointing to miss matches through injury because the World Cup comes every four years and I missed last year's Twenty20 World Cup with the same knee injury,"​
 
This one is predictable. One-sided win for Pakistan. Afghanistan's only issue was inexperience. But they proved me wrong by showing great maturity and application. Bangladesh's problem is more than maturity.
 
Seems the wind gone out of sails for Pakistan supporters?

How about we get to see some good cricket from this side and savour it now?
Babar could score a 200 this game and it would still not be worth savoring…
 
How can you say this? Bangaldesh beat Afghanistan which Pakistan.

Pakistan faced Afghanistan after being mauled by India and Australia and still managed to capitulate on historic proportions.

Going by current trend, it might very well be Bangladesh that unleashes hell on Pakistan.
Afg is a confidence based team. They lacked confidence and body language since their narrow defeat against Sri Lanka in asia cup.

But England is so bad, that after afg beat them, they now have the belief they can beat anyone.

Their 100% eyeing the semi final spot. Pakistan and bamgaldesh and England are 3 teams that have no sense of direction. It's not about skill level anymore.

Yes their is a lack of skill but this time these teams are mentally not present, the body language is down, and Pakistan after the defeat against sa are now mentally switched off and pretty much a done and gone case for this cup now. So I'd bangaldesh and England.
 
Afg is a confidence based team. They lacked confidence and body language since their narrow defeat against Sri Lanka in asia cup.

But England is so bad, that after afg beat them, they now have the belief they can beat anyone.

Their 100% eyeing the semi final spot. Pakistan and bamgaldesh and England are 3 teams that have no sense of direction. It's not about skill level anymore.

Yes their is a lack of skill but this time these teams are mentally not present, the body language is down, and Pakistan after the defeat against sa are now mentally switched off and pretty much a done and gone case for this cup now. So I'd bangaldesh and England.
If Afghanistan plays BD now i would back afghans to win. They met them early in the tournament.
 
If Afghanistan plays BD now i would back afghans to win. They met them early in the tournament.
Skill matters but so does confidence and body language.

One look at Afghanistan and one look at Pakistan that day, you'd instantly see the difference.

My dad doesn't even watch cricket, he watches basket ball, he took one look and was like yh, Pakistan is losing just look at babar's face? Pakistan fielding hasn't even started yet, first ball isn't even being bowled magar

" TEAM KEI MOO MEI BARA BAJAY HOEI HAIN"

India is Peak confident atm, its not that they just have a great team, all their players are looking to dominate.

England, Pakistan and Bangladesh look like they've seen a ghost.
 
My friend , even if you reach semi final , what will Pakistan do ? Spoil a semi final by playing below average cricket ?

Pakistan Team lacks game awareness and planning completely. Within a month Pakistan would be playing Australia in Perth , do they know who will be there 3 main fast bowlers ?

Pakistan have been loosing Tests since decades in Australia , what preparation have they done for that ? Absolutely nothing. Any other team would feel hurt and would at least try to draw a test match.
They are planning to take haris rauf who has zero FC experience .... He cant even survive bowling good line and lengths in ODIs for 10 overs... Would like to see this brainless bunch take him and get hammered, Warner eyes another 300 😃
 
Skill matters but so does confidence and body language.

One look at Afghanistan and one look at Pakistan that day, you'd instantly see the difference.

My dad doesn't even watch cricket, he watches basket ball, he took one look and was like yh, Pakistan is losing just look at babar's face? Pakistan fielding hasn't even started yet, first ball isn't even being bowled magar

" TEAM KEI MOO MEI BARA BAJAY HOEI HAIN"

India is Peak confident atm, its not that they just have a great team, all their players are looking to dominate.

England, Pakistan and Bangladesh look like they've seen a ghost.
Yes agree... The match they look confident about winning was against SA , rest looks like telling opponents finish it off guys, wanna go have biriyani and sleep
 
Fakhar and Naseem were injury project, still played in useless league LPL. They missed World Cup because of that. Who is responsible? PCB or players themselves?
 
Yes agree... The match they look confident about winning was against SA , rest looks like telling opponents finish it off guys, wanna go have biriyani and sleep
No, against sa the entire team wasn't confident, only the bowlers were besides nawaz who's a failure.

Babar was completly out of it, rizzu the degenerate aka everyone's saviour is always joking with the opposition even during crunch moments, bhai show spirit of friendship before or after a match, not when your sides life is on the line, Babar for all his faults atleast cries and feels the pain of loss.

Imam doesn't have a care in the world, chacha is absent minded in general in the field.

Only the bowlers got switched on. Had we had hasan Ali, you'd be seeing another phainti because Rauf needs hand holding from an economical bowler to get going and wasim Jr switched on for that game and so did shaheen.

The entire opposition wasn't switched on, that was only the case in 2017 ct.
 
After all the phainta Pakistan are set to unleash their potential against Bangladesh, partners from a certain agency will score their customary 50s to ensure bat is raised, there is som much of politics and dirt that a die hard cricket fan is hurt badly, surely a clarification statement from the sports company is required. Earlier, there was a lobby at PCB now there is lobby in players also
 
Perfect time for Babar to score another useless century like the other 18 or 19 he had so far in his career.
 
Pakistan Coach Grant Bradburn pre-match press conference

Part 1


Part 2


[Reporter:]

My question is that are the players only trying or praying also that other results go in their favour like New Zealand crash out of the tournament?

[Grant Bradburn:]

Yeah absolutely, we're in a position that we didn't want to be. We were determined at this stage of the tournament to be in control of our destiny but we're not. That hurts the group and all we can do now is control what we can control, and that is prepare well for three remaining pool games and then allow fate to be hopefully leaning on us in terms of our semi-final hopes from there.

But we wanted to be in control. We're not, and that's the reality that we've faced, and that's certainly hurt the group, and there's been a lot of disappointment over the last period of time. But it's a very tight group, and pleased to say that we're really looking forward to another opportunity tomorrow.

[Reporter:]

Grant, before this tournament Pakistan was one of the favourites, then what went wrong with Pakistan team?

[Grant Bradburn:]

Look I'm not sure where you get favourites from because there are 10 teams in this tournament, there's 150 cricketers who are the best on the planet and in terms of the ICC rankings, we know they are skewed because we don't get to play India, we don't get to play a lot of the top nations who haven't been to Pakistan of late.

We were number five in April, we became number one recently before the tournament, and that might be where you term the phrase favourites. But we're realistic. We have not been the best in the world as yet, so which highlights where we are in this tournament right now. We have no divine right to beat anyone in this tournament. We have to play quality cricket, and we have to put all three departments of our game together. We are desperate to bring joy to our nation. We are desperate to make our nation very proud of this cricket team. And we are also realistic in the knowledge that we haven't put all departments of our game together over the last four games but four losses does not define who we are as players, as coaches or a team, So we're determined now to focus on what we can control and that is putting our best on the park in these last three games and then leaving that to fate as – to determine the remainder of the tournament for Pakistan.

[Reporter:]

How is the environment, the mood at this point? How challenging is it for you and Mickey and other coaching staff to update the morale and confidence of the players?

[Grant Bradburn:]

The environment is great. There's never any issue in terms of the environment. We have a wonderful group of players who are very determined, as I said before, to bring joy to their nation, play a quality, exciting brand of cricket for our fans and to make our country and our families proud of the performances that we put on the park. So, look that remains, this is a very tight group and feel free to wander down towards the dressing room and watch the training today you will see a very good vibe.

We're satisfied in the fact that we're prepared meticulously well for each and every game. But we're also realistic in the knowledge that we haven't put all departments of our game together and that hurts us because we haven't quite met the high expectations that we have of ourselves let alone our fans. We're very determined, we have given our fans a lot of joy and a lot of pleasure, I guess, and we're very proud of ourselves, of the fight that we showed in the last game against South Africa.

At times during this tournament, you know Sri Lanka was another good example of chasing down a record score. At times we have provided that joy and that hope and that proud cricket team that our fans want to see playing, a brand that makes them proud. But we haven't put that together consistently enough and we're determined to do so.

[Reporter:]

You said to the other question how the No.1 ranking might have been a little misleading because you don't get to play India and the best teams often enough. Do you by any chance kind of feel isolated and left behind because Pakistan boys don't even play IPL which is like the best league. So, do you feel isolated and left behind in terms of just intel and knowledge and getting the best competition and what's the way forward if you do?

[Grant Bradburn:]

No, we don’t feel isolated or intimidated by that. Mickey and I, when we took over this team in April, six months ago, we recognised that the team was playing a gear or two below where we wanted the team to be playing in terms of the brand, because we know the brand of cricket that is winning against quality teams is a more dynamic brand than perhaps, we were playing. So, we set a new course in April this year.

So, it hasn't been a big lead in to this major tournament for us. Ideally preparation for a tournament like this starts four years ago. We started six months ago and changed direction in the way that we want to play the game of cricket , especially the one-day brand.

We've shown some positive signs of that over the last six months, and as I've mentioned, during this tournament, we're very proud of some of the performances that we've put on the park. It's taking a little bit longer than we were hoping, but we want to play a dynamic brand that matches the challenge of the conditions we're playing in. So, this tournament is foreign condition for us. None of our players have played here before. Every venue is a new one, including this one. So, we've done our homework meticulously on our opposition, on our venues that we're playing at, and we're prepared very, very well for each and every encounter. But the reality is that each and every venue is a new one for us and we don't feel disadvantaged at all in terms of the knowledge, the quality, the skill, the backing that we have for this team of cricketers.

We've been consistent with our selection; we've backed our players and we still back our players to perform and show the brand of cricket that we want to play that matches the task at hand and also, we're the best in the world. And we've acknowledged over the past period of time that we're not at that level that we want to be, but we're certainly pushing hard to improve our brand of cricket because we know that the skills are within our players.

[Reporter:]

Does this loss against South Africa, it was really, really close in a competition where not much has gone right for you guys, does that make it even harder for you going into a game like this? A win there, you could have gone there with you, you know with greater motivation and stuff, does that make it a little harder going into tomorrow's game?

[Grant Bradburn:]

Yeah, as I mentioned at the start there was a lot of hurt in the camp, particularly after the South African game. Chennai was a difficult venue to assess conditions, as you all well know. We felt we assess the conditions well but in the South African game we acknowledge and we've had a skills meeting this morning and part of our skills meeting is that we reflect on the good and bad. And part of the admission for us is that we didn't have our batsmen going quite deep enough in that innings, and we probably left 20 to 30 runs out in the middle. And certainly 310 to 315, I think, in that game would have been sufficient to bring that game to a W for Pakistan. But it doesn't take away the fact that we're hugely proud of the way particularly the pace bowlers performed, the courage that they showed to take wickets throughout the middle phase of that chase and you know we have eight to ten key performance indicators that break down the whole performance and, in that game, you know we were particularly hurting because we know that we actually dominated the opposition in a number of those areas.

The one area that is key for us, we try and have one of our top four batsmen going through into the 40th over, we didn't do that and we have consistently I guess throughout our batting performance, when we were dominating the first two games, we had batsmen going through into that later phase and putting big scores on the board over the last four games. We've had batsmen that have gotten and haven't gone on. Those are some of the basics of the cricket that you all know so well that are vitally important for us too.

So, we've got faith in our lineup and our players. And we certainly look at every performance, whether it's a win or a loss, good and bad. We critique every performance. And we try and grab the learnings and keep growing and continually improve - that's our mantra. And while it was bitterly disappointing not to get over the line against South Africa, we thought we'd done enough to get over the line, we didn't. The key thing for us over the last few days is to continually learn from those experiences, good and bad, and continually grow from those experiences.

I'm pleased to say that we arrive at training today after a very good skills meeting this morning with a real determination to grow from that performance. We don't want to dwell too much on the past, we’re very much looking forward. We know Bangladesh very well. We've played them in the Asia Cup. We've played them before. As I said, this is a new venue for us. But we've done our homework, and we're very much looking forward to putting our best on the park over these next three games.

[Reporter:]

I have a two-fold question. First of all, you were beaten by India in the first half of the tournament. So, do you think that that loss brought the morale of the team down?

And the second one is Bangladesh is already out of the contention of the last four. So, at this point of time, they have nothing to lose. So how difficult is it to play a team like them in this stage of the tournament?

[Grant Bradburn:]

I'll deal with the first question first and the answer is definitely no. That was a performance in Ahmedabad which was a huge experience for all of our players having never played at that venue before and the unusual experience of playing in front of a 1,30,000 supporters of the opposition was a was a huge experience and ultimately a good experience for our boys. We were bitterly disappointed with the process. I've spoken about the key performance indicators. We break down a performance into certain areas of batting and bowling. When we do these things, we generally win our games. And one of the things that we didn't do was take the innings deep. We started very well in Ahmedabad and we obviously didn't have our top order going through to the later stages of that innings to really put a competitive total on the board. We fought hard with the ball and in the field but we ultimately, we didn't have enough to win that game but we reflected on that as we always do. We isolated the performance where - or the part of the performance that we didn't do well enough and we've trained that and we brought that to the fore.

So, we've grown from that experience. We're not dwelling on that. Look, we haven't got on a roll in this tournament, and we understand that it's fine lines here in Indian conditions. And particularly, I would say, with our bowlers, we’re renowned for having a fantastic group of fast bowlers, both here and at home. We have a great resource of fast bowling talent in Pakistan. We do rely on swing, but we haven't experienced too much swing here. The balls are different. The conditions are different and it's certainly the ball tends to wear a lot quicker here.

So, you know, we're learning that on the fly as well so therefore our lines have been different that we've been bowling and we haven't put enough balls in good areas really to create the pressure that we want and to take the wickets and the power play especially that we want to want to do.

Yeah - Bangladesh, look as I said right at the start there's ten quality teams here at this tournament, we don't have a divine right to beat any of them. We know that to beat any team, we need to play well, and we know that when we can put three parts of our game together, we can beat any team in this tournament. We respect Bangladesh hugely. They're a quality group of cricketers. We've had a good look at where we believe we can exploit their potential weaknesses and we know where their strengths are. So, we're prepared well for Bangladesh. We're focused very much on looking in the mirror as well and making sure that we're putting our very best performance together that we can.

[Reporter:]

My question is what is your take on umpire's call? And is there any distraction by the players on central contract signing by the Pakistani board and all those things, like Omar Gul said that Shadab Khan had an injury like that. So, is that disrespecting and the umpires fault?

[Grant Bradburn:]

No, the simple answer to that is look we try and focus on the things we can control.And look, the umpires control the game and look, those things are unfortunate for us that, but that's part of the game, part of the game. So, we don't control that, so we don't tend to worry too much about that. We tend to look more in the mirror, and referring to the South African game, you know we've isolated the area of the game that we didn't quite do well enough. And that was the last five overs. We scored 11 runs. The last five overs, we needed to score 25 to 30 runs. And we probably would have bought that game to a close earlier.

So those are the things that we focus on, the things within our control. And in terms of the noise around the team, look, playing for Pakistan and working within this team is a huge privilege. And there's great expectation always. And understandably, there's always lots of noise from outside, lots of fans that have an opinion and we look at that as a good thing and it just shows that they care. And we're desperate to make our nation proud and we're desperate to show them a brand of cricket that they can be proud of and bring joy and hope to the nation and that's all we can control.

So, we’re very much focused, players and staff, on staying tight, staying true to our own values that we've set and keep striving to the standards that we've set ourselves, let alone the standards that our fans expect of us.

There's only certain things that we can control and that's very much within our focus.
 
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Whom they try to fool by posting training session pictures? These players don't have it to be World Champion. They are here just for money. No Passion!!! WE will loose 7 matches in a row unless others teams have bad days
 
The team is gearing up for the crucial match against Bangladesh, which they must win to keep their World Cup campaign alive.

Screenshot_20231030_174428_X.jpgScreenshot_20231030_174422_X.jpgScreenshot_20231030_174415_X.jpgScreenshot_20231030_174409_X.jpgScreenshot_20231030_174358_X.jpgScreenshot_20231030_174352_X.jpgScreenshot_20231030_174344_X.jpgScreenshot_20231030_174337_X.jpg
 
Don't be surprised if they beat us over 50+ runs
I see what you are doing here. If BD beats Pak by more than 50 runs, you'll have the opportunity to proudly emphasize your prediction, making you appear prescient. However, if this doesn't happen, your words may fade into obscurity like many other posts. :)
 
The team for tomorrow selects itself. We need to go with 4 pacers and need an attacking batsman in at the top. If Fakhar is unfit we need to make Shadab open and bring Salman Agha in at 6. Long tail but its not like Nawaz was adding much in the batting or the bowling, and Usama isn't good enough right now.

Fakhar
Abdullah
Babar
Rizwan
Saud
Ifti
Shadab
Hassan
Wasim
Shaheen
Rauf
 
Fakhar
Abdullah
Babar (C)
Saud
Rizwan (wk)
Salman
Ifti
Shadab
Wasim
Shaheen
Rauf

Down with the Match winner (nawaz).
Salman and Ifti both each can bowl 5 overs.
Considering the match is against BD they should try Saud as well.
 
They are planning to take haris rauf who has zero FC experience .... He cant even survive bowling good line and lengths in ODIs for 10 overs... Would like to see this brainless bunch take him and get hammered, Warner eyes another 300 😃
Pakistan in big trouble as far as bowling is concerned in Australia. They do not even have a proper test spinner. Also , a 4th pace bowling all rounder is a must in Australia.
 
Reports are saying shahdab isn't fit to play
Fakhar and hassan are now fit
Imam will be dropped for fakhar
Usama is more likely to replace shadab
One of waseem or rauf will have to make place for hasan ali
 
30 October - Kolkata - Bangladesh Captain Shakib Al Hasan pre-match press conference

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[Reporter:]

What is the target for the team and how have you overcome the losses?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

Target is to play tomorrow's match and try to win, do our best and look for the two points that there are to take. So, we'll try our best to do that.

[Reporter:]

How you overcome the previous losses and how is the overall scenario of your dressing room?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

Yeah, we discussed about it, we had our team meetings, so we sat down, we talked about it, how can we overcome the situation we are in now, but we have to show it in action. Talk is cheap when it's not working. So, we'll do it at the ground so the action can take care of it and everyone can see it.

[Reporter:]

Given the recent performance of your team and your opponent's team, what have you done in the last match and what they have done in the last match? How will you rate both teams? Do you think you are ahead of them in tomorrow's match?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

I don't want to rate any team at this moment. We have a very important match tomorrow, which we want to win. Same thing I think goes with Pakistan as well. They want to win as well. So, the team that will play better, will win. We'll try our best to play better than Pakistan so that we can win the match.

[Reporter:]

Every Bangladeshi, they wanted you to perform. What about that? You had a practice with your childhood coach. What about that?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

I want to perform as well.

[Reporter:]

How?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

I am trying to find that out.

[Reporter:]

You sounded really, really down after the game against Holland. And you were struggling for answers and you said, this is as bad as it gets. In the two days between then and now?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

My voice changed? Different?

[Reporter continues:]

Yes, that's what I mean.

How have you looked back and how have you been able to lift?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

I mean, only us, we can change the situation of the team with our action. So that's what we are trying to do.

[Reporter:]

This is a very special land for Bangladesh. This is the land for your freedom fighter. This is the first time Bangladesh will play against Pakistan in Bengal soil. What is your vision?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

I mean, we're here to play the World Cup. Every match is as important as it gets. Tomorrow's match is no different to all other games that we have played or we will play in a few weeks' time. So, we'll take one game at a time. We don't think about anything else other than to be able to perform to the best of our ability for tomorrow's game and we want to do better than Pakistan so that we can win the match.

[Reporter:]

As Bangladesh is out of the race for the last four. So as a captain, what have you told your teammates to keep them motivated in such circumstances?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

I think more than me, the whole team talked about what we need to do. There is a lot to play for. As you know, we have to win to be able to qualify for the Champions Trophy. That's an important target I think we can set at this moment and to do that we have to win. We have no other options and that's what we would look to do.

[Reporter:]

You said yesterday also [the day before yesterday] that you want to be in the top 8 in the Champions Trophy, right? Yes, the day before yesterday. When did you find out about the qualification process for the Champions Cup, when did you get to know about it? If you had known about it later, how would that affect you?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

Before the tournament started.

[Reporter:]

Before the tournament started. But you said that you wanted to play until the Champions Cup. Tamim also said the same thing. A couple of senior cricketers of the Bangladesh team also said that they wanted to play in the Champions Cup. Do you think about it now? If you can't play, what will happen?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

No, I didn't think about it.

[Reporter:]

If you were to choose one thing in this tournament that has let down your team, it would definitely be the batting. Many players have lost their form in the game. So, as you have started the preparation for playing in the Champions Trophy the next, it's not long ago, there's a big defeat you faced just two days ago. From this place to get back the forms of the batsmen, what thing can be worked as a tonic you think, or what things can help them return to their form?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

We have to motivate ourselves to return to the form. And only one can return to their form individually. In batting, or bowling whichever you say, even in fielding, although cricket is a team game, you have to perform individually. Only then the team can perform collectively. So it is our responsibility to motivate ourselves and how we can come back to the form. We can do that and we have to do it.

[Reporter:]

[inaudible] You said that you were underprepared. [inaudible] So, how can you play as an underprepared team?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

Actually, you have asked such a question that I cannot do that discussion a lot now or I don't want to. If I want to do it, then we have to think more. Whether it would be good or bad if we had taken the risks or played. This is actually easy when we get a result. It's hard to say in advance. More or less everyone played except me. The players who were at rest also played matches in the end. And maybe those who had an injury didn't play. I think in the New Zealand series, everyone had played at least one match. So, those are actually very irrelevant now I think. We can discuss this in detail after the tournament. Right now, the focus is on the next match and we are trying to perform well.

[Reporter:]

I have two questions. First question, now it's time for the World Cup journey for Bangladesh, more or less it's progressing beyond the group stage is now over. Now to play in the Champions Trophy, is the goal for Bangladesh now to play in the Champions Trophy?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

Yes, of course. The Champions Trophy is a goal, but how far we can go is also a goal. We couldn't do what we expected, but from here the remaining matches we have, if we can play well and get good results, we can come back with confidence and reflect on what we could have done better. So, from that point of view, we have three important matches. Tomorrow is an important match and we are trying to focus on that.

[Reporter:]

And, let's finish with this question. Last two days, after the Netherlands' game, what was the situation of your team in the dressing room?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

Everyone felt bad that day naturally. But if you keep feeling bad, it won't work. We have to go forward and try to do that. And everyone has tried to do that. We all sat down and discussed together and we discussed individually. We have tried to do the way we feel is better for us.

[Reporter:]

You said after the last match that it would be difficult to turn around for a team before the Pakistan match. So, when you review the batting, do you focus more on dismissal when you do the review as a captain or coach with any batsman? Does the dismissal take up more time or is it his process or where he can improve individually?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

Actually the situation is different for each individual. Maybe some people don't like to discuss that, maybe some like to discuss their process, some people like to discuss their technique. Some people like to discuss what was their mental state when they were batting and they try to find out how to get out of that. And one more thing that they try to do is when the batsman or bowler does well or bats well, what process they maintain and try to remind themselves. When a player doesn't perform well, he forgets that process. No matter how much we repeat it, he forgets it. Then we remind him, remind him in the nets, remind him on the pitch during the match, these are the things they do more or less.

[Reporter:]

I want to know one small thing. You played the match before on this ground. So, you must have had an idea about the spinners' ball or what happened under the lights. Is this the advantage of Bangladesh against Pakistan?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

At least we have a better idea. But I am sure that the people we are going to play with have seen the match. So, they will have a lot of ideas. Actually, you don't have to play the match to get an idea about the pitch. When you will see a match you will also get an idea. Yes, the game is played in different pitches every day, so the conditions can be different. So, when we played, we played on one pitch, and now we will play on another pitch, and maybe the conditions will be completely different. So, it is difficult to say that the experience of playing that game will be useful. But at least we will have an idea.

[Reporter:]

You have said many times that Bangladesh has never been able to do well in the World Cup or they didn't do well. What is the reason? You also have played five World Cups. Can't Bangladesh take the pressure after coming to the World Cup? Or is it that the ability that is required for this World Cup stage, is not there yet?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

Look, the focus is only on tomorrow's match. I feel this question is a bit irrelevant to me. The time to discuss this is the day after the World Cup of 2011 ended or the day after the World Cup of 2015 ended, the World Cup of 2019. Now when the World Cup of 2023 is over, we can discuss this then.

[Reporter:]

You have seen the wickets of the World Cup, which were batting-friendly. Our home wickets are similar to this, especially if we talk about Mirpur. As a captain and a senior player, have you said anything to your board or will you say anything that before coming to a World Cup or a big tournament, the preparation needs to be done in such a way? We know how the wickets are in such big events.

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

As I answered his question, the answer to this question would be similar. There is no need to discuss these things now. These discussions should be done when a series or tournament is over. When a long-term plan is being made, then we can discuss it. Now, we are discussing only about tomorrow's match.

[Reporter:]

Pakistan is coming after being defeated in a match and you are also going to play with them. The head coach of Pakistan has said that [inaudible], because Bangladesh plays in the IPL they will be familiar with the ground conditions of India. What do you think about that? They are ahead in terms of being familiar to these conditions.

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

It is difficult for us to say whether they are ahead in terms of being familiar. Because we have never played in the ODI series in India. So, it's difficult for us to say that those who have experience playing in the IPL would have an idea. Yes, our players like Mustafiz (Mustafizur Rahman) and Litton (Das) have played on this ground during the IPL. So, maybe they have an idea. But those who haven't played, they don't have an idea. So, I won't say that it will matter a lot. If their coach said something like this, that it’s an unfamiliar condition for both of them, may be because none of the teams have played here for the last 10-15 years. So, from that point of view, it is not a very familiar place for us, although we are from the nearby countries.

[Reporter:]

The Pakistan team is almost like the Bangladesh team, they lost consecutive four matches, and they are also in a bad patch. Can that be an advantage for the Bangladesh team? Can you take a lot of motivation from that place?

[Shakib Al Hasan:]

They can say the same thing that we have lost in five matches. That is their advantage. What should I say? [smile] No, sometimes you need to laugh.
 
This game is not about winning. We need to win big to make our NRR +ve. New Zealand losing to South Africa is quite possible especially if South Africa gets to bat first.
We should not give up not only because we might qualify but it is a matter of pride as well. If we only beat Bangladesh we will be definitely finish 6th or even worse. We should at least end around 5th to get some respect.
 
Ideal opportunity for BD , Pak players are not in right frame of mind after all the strip show that is happening back home, Bangladesh will be favourites Shakib should win the toss and bowl first our workman like batting will crawl to 250/280 and with our dart throwers spinner and freebies master Rauf , it will be nicely done by Bangladesh old gaurd, only fear is that with this defeat Pakistan may finish 9th and play more minnow cricket with qualifiers for CT
 
Ideal opportunity for BD , Pak players are not in right frame of mind after all the strip show that is happening back home, Bangladesh will be favourites Shakib should win the toss and bowl first our workman like batting will crawl to 250/280 and with our dart throwers spinner and freebies master Rauf , it will be nicely done by Bangladesh old gaurd, only fear is that with this defeat Pakistan may finish 9th and play more minnow cricket with qualifiers for CT
As bad as the Pakistan team is right now, I still believe they will come out top in this clash. Just need to select the right personnel in the playing eleven. On the two-paced spongy bounce wicket of Kolkata, Pak bowlers should be more than handy against BD batsmen. PCT should persist with Mohammed Wasim jr, and add Hasan Ali (if fit) in place of Nawaz, and Fakhar in place of Imam. If win the toss, Batting first should be the better option for Pak.
 
Ideal opportunity for BD , Pak players are not in right frame of mind after all the strip show that is happening back home, Bangladesh will be favourites Shakib should win the toss and bowl first our workman like batting will crawl to 250/280 and with our dart throwers spinner and freebies master Rauf , it will be nicely done by Bangladesh old gaurd, only fear is that with this defeat Pakistan may finish 9th and play more minnow cricket with qualifiers for CT
Bangladesh is not going to bully Pakistan with a score like 350 as they cannot score that much. Mostly 270 or below. This is right up in Pakistan's alley. In case if Pakistan bats first they should be able to score 290 easily. Then let Haris Rauf, Shaheen bombard them with bouncer. They won't get anywhere close. I can't see a path where BD can pull this off. You need X factor players. Srilanka has X factor players. Afghanistan has X factor players. BD never had one apart from Fiz for a brief period when he was new.
 
Shafiq
Haris
Babar
Saud
Rizwan
Iftikhar
Agha
Wasim
SSA
Hassan
Rauf
---------

Spinners are completely finished so go with a pace quartet with some rough pep talk from Morne
 
my team for tomorrow';

Fakhar
Abdullah
Babar
Rizwan
Saud
Chacha
Agha/Shadab if fit
Wasim
Usama
Shaheen
Rauf
 
We still have a chance of semis? Don't know who still has hope, this reminds me of Doctor Strange in Endgame, where in (God knows) how many millions of outcomes we beat Thanos in exactly one outcome (something something like that). Hopefully, folks get my point.
 
Reports are saying shahdab isn't fit to play
Fakhar and hassan are now fit
Imam will be dropped for fakhar
Usama is more likely to replace shadab
One of waseem or rauf will have to make place for hasan ali

Wasim was excellent. Bangladesh can't play Rauf pace. Hasan needs to be kept out. Fakhar and Salman are musts. Hopefully we won't see Nawaz and Imam in white ball now.
 
Wasim was excellent. Bangladesh can't play Rauf pace. Hasan needs to be kept out. Fakhar and Salman are musts. Hopefully we won't see Nawaz and Imam in white ball now.
Play 4 quicks. Bangladesh is very good against finger spinners. They struggle only against quality leggies. I don't see Pak has any quality leggies. May be one they can. Go with 4 quicks. They cannot force against pace.
 
Play 4 quicks. Bangladesh is very good against finger spinners. They struggle only against quality leggies. I don't see Pak has any quality leggies. May be one they can. Go with 4 quicks. They cannot force against pace.

Agree but we will play Mir cos we are dumb
 
They should play this xi

Fakhar
Abdullah
Babar
Rizwan
Saud
Iftikhar
Hassan Ali
Wasim Jnr
Usama
Shaheen
Rauf

If not bat first they need to get 350 no ifs or buts
 
That is not happening , Pakistan will go with same team.
Is Shahdab fit? if Shahdab is fit we can play Usama mir & Shahdab (at least he can bat somewhat and field) or if Shahdab is not fit, it is time to bring in Abrar (injury reserve). They should have bought Abrar in weeks ago in place of Fakhar (who is carrying a knee injury). Nawaz should be dropped for good. He has been the weak link for a long time.
 
If Nawaz plays tomorrow, then I'm seriously done with this team.

2 wickets in the World Cup at an average of 111.5, economy of 5.89 and a SR of 113.5.

That is some serious Inzamam level bowling.
 
Do or die game for Pakistan
For me, Pakistan vs South Africa was the (in theory) decider.

Unless New Zealand somehow loses all their remaining matches, despite them being the closest team to win against India and nearly chasing ~380 runs vs Australia, then Pakistan is most likely to not reach semi finals.
 
For me, Pakistan vs South Africa was the (in theory) decider.

Unless New Zealand somehow loses all their remaining matches, despite them being the closest team to win against India and nearly chasing ~380 runs vs Australia, then Pakistan is most likely to not reach semi finals.
Yep, we are done, at this point Afg has a better chance than us to go through
 
On one hand, Bangladesh are more hapless than Pakistan will ever get. No heart. Wasters.

On the other, they have a habit of playing 1 out of 10 games to their potential and actually looking decent while at it. Could this be this game....

I'm hoping for a good match.
 
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