Bangladesh fancies its chances vs. Pakistan

KOLKATA — Bangladesh will look to compound the misery of beleaguered Pakistan Wednesday in their opening group match of the World Twenty20, fresh from humbling its archrival in the Asia Cup. Despite its recent improvements in 50-over cricket, Bangladesh has a rotten record in the World T20 and has never beaten Pakistan in the premier tournament of cricket’s shortest format. But it will fancy its chances like never before at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens against a team which is on a miserable run and whose preparations have been hit by its late arrival in India in a row over security. Bangaladesh cruised through last week’s preliminary round and knows that a victory over Pakistan will set it up nicely if it is to make the semifinals for the first time. Star batsman Tamim Iqbal is in the form of his life, scoring Bangladesh’s first-ever international T20 century in Sunday’s victory over Oman after scores of 83 and 47 in the first two games. Fans in the cricket-mad nation held impromptu street parties earlier this month when Bangladesh clinched a five-wicket win over Pakistan in Dhaka, sealing a place in the final of the Asia Cup which it lost to India. Mashrafe Mortaza’s side can expect strong support from its fellow Bengalis in what is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. But Afridi said Pakistan had a good record at Eden Gardens, including a convincing victory over India in an ODI in January 2013. “We have very good memories over here and we are pretty much confident,” he told reporters in Kolkata. Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said that the team’s troubled build-up to the tournament did not mean it should be written off. “We’re the kind of team that once we get the momentum going, we can surprise people,” Younis said in a pre-match press conference. The former bowling great also backed the big-hitting Afridi to rediscover the kind of form with the bat that earned him the nickname Boom Boom. “It takes less than a minute to lose form and to get it back as well. T20 cricket is like that, we’re hoping that he’s one innings away from getting back his old form,” said Younis. Bangladesh’s build-up has been serene in comparison. But after seeing off Oman, the Netherlands and Ireland in the preliminaries, Mortaza knows the hard work now begins in a group that includes India, Australia and New Zealand. “In that group you can’t make any mistakes, you have to be up to the mark everywhere,” said the veteran bowler. — Agencies