Make or break for Tigers
It's make or break for Bangladesh as they take on New Zealand in their second Group A match of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium today.
After a 60-run defeat against India in their first game in Dubai, Bangladesh need to win today's game to keep their semifinal hopes alive ahead of facing hosts Pakistan in their final group game at the same venue next Thursday.
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Bangladesh can take motivation from their recent performances at this venue where they created history by beating hosts Pakistan 2-0 in a Test series last year -- the Tigers' first-ever series win in Pakistan.
"I hope it [Test triumph in Rawalpindi] does [give everyone confidence]. Because it's not an easy thing to come to Pakistan and beat Pakistan. It gave them a lot of confidence. So, I hope it has a significant bearing on how they think about this ground," Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons told reporters yesterday.
After their day-time practice session at the Islamabad Club on Saturday, the Tigers also trained under floodlights at the main stadium in Rawalpindi.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Nazmul Abedeen Fahim was seen having a long chat with curator Tony Hemming, who is currently the head curator at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in front of the wickets prepared for the three matches to be played at the venue, starting with the Bangladesh-New Zealand match today.
Meanwhile, experienced cricketer Mahmudullah Riyad had a long batting session, giving a positive vibe regarding his participation in today's match. Riyad missed the first game due to a calf injury.
"We're thinking about a lot of different things. The first thing is, as we said before, we have to find out if Riyad is fit and then we can know how to balance out the team again after that. When practice is finished today [Sunday], we'll know a little bit more, have a look at the wicket and everything like that. So, final decisions will be made later this evening," said Simmons.
"This is a ground where big scores are made, and we have seen the scores made in Lahore yesterday [on Saturday, in the game between England and Australia]. So, you're looking at big scores here [in Pakistan], looking at 300-plus totals," he added.
Meanwhile, New Zealand won their opening game by 60 runs against hosts Pakistan in Karachi and a win in today's match will confirm their semifinal berth after India won both their games against Bangladesh and Pakistan.
"Yeah, it's a nice position to be in," said New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner, ahead of their practice session yesterday.
"I think at different stages of every game we've played, different guys have stepped up, which is probably the most pleasing thing," Santner concluded.
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