FANTASY
Follow UsNeither Pakistan or Bangladesh are out of the contention for a spot in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup. But that doesn’t mean anything is straightforward for them. They will have to wait for results from other games to secure a berth - which makes their chances highly unlikely - but if there is one thing that we have learnt from this World Cup so far, never say never. Tides may turn at the last second, things may go out of the way suddenly and all we would be left with is a sudden dwindle of sorts, hence the Pakistan-Bangladesh encounter assumes special significance.
Ground details
The pacers have been dominant at the Adelaide Oval, having picked up close to 77% of the wickets in the tournament so far. They have struck every 22.6 runs, 17.1 deliveries apart. The corresponding numbers for the spinners are 25.4 and 19.5 respectively. Three of the four games played here in the T20 World Cup 2022 have been won by the team batting first and hence the captain winning the toss will be tempted to do so in this game. The average score batting first here is 164 and that total could be more than enough to get over the line.
Suggested team
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
Captaincy Suggestions
For Small Leagues: Shadab Khan (Captain), Taskin Ahmed (Vice-Captain)
For Grand Leagues: Shadab Khan (Captain), Haris Rauf (Vice-Captain)
Stats that matter
Iftikhar Ahmed has scored 395 runs this year – which is the most for him in a year. In his last five innings in T20Is, Iftikhar has either got some sort of start and scored two half centuries. Iftikhar is still their leading run scorer in this tournament and has two 50+ scores which is the most for any of their batters so far.
Shadab Khan has been the one bowler who has been consistent for a while for Pakistan and he continues to do so in this T20 World Cup as well. He currently stands as the 2nd highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in T20Is and is just three wickets away from being the leading wicket taker for his country in T20Is.
Grand League Punts
Shadab has been super consistent for Pakistan in this World Cup, picking up two or more wickets in all of his last three innings. The only time he hasn’t picked up a wicket in this tournament has been in the opening game against India – even then he was very economical without taking a wicket. Go big on him, because he has the potential to deliver a lot of fantasy points.
Shakib al Hasan has a lot riding on his shoulders with him being one of the best all-rounders in world cricket and having been Bangladesh’s best player for several years. No player has scored more runs or taken more wickets for Bangladesh than Shakib in T20Is. This year has been amongst the best for Shakib in T20Is, he has scored 349 runs in 14 innings so far which include three half centuries in them – most for him in a year in T20Is.
Here are the Top 10 Criclytics projections
Probable XIs
Bangladesh - Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Afif Hossain, Yasir Ali, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam.
Pakistan - Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
