In the three-match T20 cricket series being held between Bangladesh and Pakistan, the T20 World Cup semi-finalists gave a good performance against a spirited Bangladesh team that refused to go down without a fight in front of the home crowd in Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka.
The Pakistan National team, fresh off a brilliant campaign that ended bitterly with a loss against eventual champions Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, seemed spirited to win their opening match of the T20 series against a Bangladesh side who were at the bottom of their table in the recent World Cup. This next match is set to be a thriller and is a great opportunity to bet online, with the winner almost a guaranteed lock.
Surprisingly, the Bangladesh team lost all of their five matches in their group. This was a serious disappointment, not only for Bangladesh fans, but also for neutral cricket lovers because of the shockingly bad performances from, what many consider to be, a quality cricketing side.
Pakistan, while being top of the ICC T20 rankings after an unbeaten streak of more than 20 international matches, was facing managerial and sporting issues leading into the World Cup. Head Coach Misbah-ul-Haq resigned, boardroom changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) were being made and allegations of mistreatment of players, as well as charges and lawsuits of corruption and bribery, were all around.
Several of the long-time faces in the squad, who were considered dressing room heavyweights, were dropped, including legend Shoaib Malik and maestro Muhammad Hafiz. However, Pakistan’s performances in the main event were like they never had a problem to begin with. They kicked their campaign off with a brilliant and dominant win against eternal rivals India. They went on to win all of their group games, which included solid wins against eventual runners-up New Zealand and Afghanistan.
Bangladesh has always been considered a solid cricketing nation, and while they were never considered one of the favorites, they were expected to, as always, perform well and not let their nation down. However, what went down in UAE was a total nightmare, with the team collapsing in almost every single match and no positives to take out of the performances, individual or collective. They lost all of their group games and had an NRR of -2.383. They were booed in the last group games, understandably, and had a nightmare of a campaign.
With Pakistan coming off with a brilliant campaign in the World Cup, and Bangladesh coming off a horrible one in the same event, the odds were never in favor of the home side, and so was how it played out. Pakistan gave a great account of themselves with the ball, limiting the home team to a score of 127/7.
While most of the Bangladeshi batsmen were limited to low scores, Hossain and Hassan showed some solidarity to steer the ship. In the end, however, the Pakistan team was simply too much for the home side and they won.
Coming into tomorrow’s match, Bangladesh is expected to put on a better performance, especially with the home support. However, there is only one favorite here, and that is the in-form Pakistan side. The Shaheens are massively favored to win the game and claim the 3-match series.
If you are looking to place bets on this upcoming match, it would be smart to favor Pakistan. Team Pakistan will likely win the game and, therefore, the series.