DHAKA: With winning the first match by 79 runs after a 16-year hoodoo, now Bangladesh have stood on a chance to make another historic moment.
The Tigers will look for second victory in a row against Pakistan for historic series win.
The second play of Bangladesh-Pakistan three-match One Day International (ODI) series will kicked off at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the city’s Mirpur at 2:30pm on Sunday.
Regular captain Mashrafe Mortaza will lead the Tigers’ side. He missed the previous winning as International Cricket Council put him on a one-match ban for slow over rating in the World Cup 2015 quarterfinal match against India on March 19.
With Sunday’s match, Mortaza will touch a millstone, becoming the third Bangladesh cricketer to play 150 ODIs. He has played 147 for his country and two for Asia XI in 2007 so far.
Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan believed previous win has mounted Tigers’ confidence and they will seal the series, winning the second match.
He also issued a warning to his fellow-players because this play is not going be easy to win as the opponents may come back.
"We can win like we did in the first ODI consistently. I believe we can win the series. The first win has boosted our confidence but we must remember that the second game won't be easy either," says Shakib.
Despite the previous defeat, Pakistan captain Azhar Ali still hopes his unpredictable boys may return to victory.
"I think my team will come back strong. I know my team. As a bowling unit they will bounce back, you will see a much more improved performance in the next game" Ali said.
Team
Bangladesh (probable)
Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Arafat Sunny, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain
Pakistan (probable)
Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Azhar Ali (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan, Fawad Alam, Saad Nasim/Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Rahat Ali
The Mirpur pitch will continue to make teams want to bat first. A bit of movement will be on offer if it is humid, but a 2:30 pm start usually makes for a big first-innings total.
The forecast suggests a chance of a shower later in the evening of the day. Meantime, sight rain poured on Saturday night in the area.
BDST: 0915 HRS, APR 19, 2015
HB/AKA