Tigers seek life in dead rubber

With Bangladesh already having lost the three-match T20I series 2-0 with a game in hand, the Tigers will be looking to bounce back and avoid a whitewash when they take on a spirited Pakistan in the third and final T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore today.

The Tigers will return home tomorrow upon completion of what has been a disappointing series on many regards.

Batting was the glaring weak point for Bangladesh so far in the first two T20Is and the slow approach from the openers have raised a lot of questions. Bangladesh managed to post modest totals of 141 for five and 136 for six in the first two games, and took the game till the last over in the first match while being thumped by nine wickets and with 20 balls to spare in the second.

The lack of impetus at the start and in the death overs has been a feature -- the Tigers suffered from an overly conservative approach in the first six Powerplay overs, adding 35 without loss in the first match and 33 for two in the second game.

There have been question marks about Tamim Iqbal’s slow approach, despite the left-hander scoring 39 off 34 balls and a 53-ball 65 in the two games.

Pacer Shafiul Islam said Bangladesh committed some small errors in the first two games and that the Tigers would look to bounce back in the third and final T20I to end the series on a high.

“Obviously, we had the ability but at the same time we also had a very young team apart from Mahmudullah Riyad and Tamim Iqbal. Yes, we have come here after playing the BPL and maybe also had the chance to play well. We were 10-15 runs short in the first game while Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez played well in the second game. They played good cricket, which was the reason the result went in their favour. We had the chance to do well,” Shafiul told reporters yesterday.

Tigers’ head coach Russell Domingo informed that the team management will look to give opportunities to players who are yet to get a chance in the series. The likes of Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Rubel Hossain have not yet featured, and pacer Hasan Mahmud is expected to make his T20I debut today.

Domingo also informed that the youngsters also need to step up and prove their worth as the Bangladesh team management are eyeing to prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup in October this year.