The Pakistan cricket team will take on Bangladesh in Match 31 of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 on Tuesday, October 31 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Both the teams have been going through a torrid run in the tournament so far and will be keen to find some winning momentum in the upcoming match.
Pakistan is sixth on the table with two wins from six matches. They lost to South Africa in a thrilling encounter in the last game. With three matches remaining, they need to pull up their socks. On the other hand, Bangladesh are reeling at the ninth position. They have just two points from six matches, losing to the Netherlands in the recent game. Talking about Head-to-head stats, Pakistan has the upper hand having won 33 of the 38 ODI matches player against Bangladesh.
In this article, we take a look at the key player battles for the Pakistan vs Bangladesh match in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Key Player Battles for PAK vs BAN
Mohammad Rizwan vs Shakib Al Hasan
Mohammad Rizwan has been in tremendous form in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. He is Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in the tournament so far. In six matches, he has slammed 333 runs at an average of 66.60, with 131 as his best score. He has smashed a century a fifty. In the upcoming game, he will be facing Shakib Al Hasan. The Bangladesh captain has not been in the best of forms. He has picked seven wickets in five matches. However, he has a good record against Rizwan, having dismissed him twice in ODIs.
Babar Azam vs Shoriful Islam
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has been struggling to get a big score in the tournament. In six matches so far, he has scored 207 runs at an average of 34.50, including three fifties. He will be hoping to get a huge score against Bangladesh. He will be facing Shoriful Islam, who has performed well in the World Cup. Shoriful has taken six wickets, including 3/75 against England. The duo has played once in ODIs previously, with Babar scoring 8 runs from as many deliveries against him.
Mahmudullah vs Shaheen Afridi
Mahmudullah is Bangladesh’s leading run-scorer in the tournament so far. He has smashed 218 in four innings at an average of 72.66, including a century against South Africa. He will be hoping to replicate the performance. However, he has to be wary of Shaheen Afridi. The pacer has taken 13 wickets in six matches, including a five-for. He has dismissed Mahmudullah once in ODIs and has conceded 13 runs in 16 deliveries against the batter.
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