Tigers hope batters step up in series decider

Bangladesh will desperately hope their batters finally produce their A game when they take on Pakistan in the series-deciding third and final ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur today.

Although the Mirpur wicket usually comes under scrutiny for making batting difficult with its slow nature, the surface in the ongoing series has, for the first time in years, consistently provided even pace and bounce.

Despite getting a rare batting-friendly track in Mirpur, Bangladesh’s batters faltered badly in the second ODI on Friday, which they lost by 128 runs under the DLS method.

They had earlier won the opening game by eight wickets, meaning today’s match will decide the fate of the series.

The victory in the opening match was largely orchestrated by a brilliant bowling display along with Pakistan’s poor batting effort. Nahid Rana claimed his maiden five-wicket haul as Pakistan were bowled out for just 114 runs, a target that did not pose a challenge for the Bangladeshi batters.

However, Bangladesh’s batting frailties were exposed in the second game while chasing 275 under lights.

For a large part of Pakistan’s innings, it seemed that they would be posting in excess of 300 but they lost wickets in clusters at the final stretch and eventually failed to play out their full 50 overs.

Despite staging a strong comeback with the ball in the latter part of Pakistan’s innings, the failure of the top-order, with Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Saif Hassan and Najmul Hossain Shanto all departing within the first five overs, effectively pushed them out of the contest.

After a lengthy interruption due to a hailstorm, Bangladesh were set a revised target of 243 in 32 overs, but the way the batters approached the chase suggested the target was always out of reach.

Litton Das looked in control until his dismissal, but Tawhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain and even skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz appeared uncomfortable during their time at the crease.

Apart from the batting concerns, Bangladesh’s Powerplay bowling will also be an area of focus. In both matches they struggled to make early breakthroughs. In the first match Pakistan reached 41 for 1 in the opening 10 overs, while in the second game Pakistani openers Maaz Sadaqat and Sahibzada Farhan smashed 85 runs in the Powerplay.

Meanwhile, the ICC ODI rankings will also be in focus. If Bangladesh defeat Pakistan, they will move up to ninth place with 79 points, gaining a two-point lead over West Indies.

However, a defeat would see Bangladesh remain 10th, fractionally behind the Caribbean side in rating points.

To qualify directly for the 2027 ICC World Cup, Bangladesh must remain at least ninth in the rankings. Although several ODI series are scheduled ahead, a win in the decider could ease some immediate pressure.

Pakistan, meanwhile, will be aiming to win their first ODI series against Bangladesh in 11 years. The last time the two sides met in a bilateral ODI series was in 2015, when Bangladesh secured a historic 3-0 sweep on home soil.