Pakistan come here today
Pakistan arrive here today for their first full tour of Bangladesh since November 2011. The cricketers, who are expected to land at 12:10 pm, will be provided with heavy security.
The Tigers however don't have a good record against their South Asian neighbours. Of the 32 ODIs, Bangladesh have won just once -- back in the 1999 World Cup. This time around though the in-form Tigers will look to better the statistics.
The Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and company, following a delightful stint in the World Cup, seem hungry for more. From Mahmudullah Riyad to Rubel Hossain, none of the players, who performed in the ICC event was keen on speaking on their time in Australia and New Zealand in the last few weeks; instead they wanted to focus on the upcoming series, a positive sign as far as Bangladesh's fans are concerned.
The Tigers can take heart from the fact that the Pakistan side arriving today won't be expected to be as strong as the sides that visited Bangladesh in the past. For one, their ODI outfit will be without Shahid Afridi and Misbahul Haq, with both retiring after the World Cup. Pakistan will instead be led by Azhar Ali, a batsman who played his last ODI back in January 2013. In addition, they yesterday had to call in Junaid Khan as a late replacement for Sohail Khan, who sustained a back injury.
The recent past has seen Bangladesh come close to beating Pakistan. The Asia Cups in 2012 and 2014 in particular saw the Tigers battle neck and neck against their Asian counterparts; however, on both occasions, they failed to cross the final line.
With the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Rubel and Mahmudullah, terming the Tigers as favourites for the series, it's quite clear that Bangladesh are going into the competition with plenty of confidence. The series begins on April 17. The teams will first face off in three ODIs, then in two Tests and finally in a T20I. Except for the first Test, which will take place in Khulna, the rest of the games will take place in Mirpur.
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