Tigers look to arrest further slide

Bangladesh and Pakistan are almost in a similar situation in the World Cup as both teams lock horns with each other at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata today in hopes of keeping their slim semifinal hopes alive.

The day-night match is scheduled to begin at 2.30pm (BST).

Despite winning just two out of six matches, with all four of the defeats coming on the trot, Pakistan still have a slightly better chance of making it to the last four than Bangladesh. Babar Azam and his troops will have to win all their remaining matches and also hope the outcomes of the other matches go their way.

On the other hand, Bangladesh, with just one win in five matches, are worse off when it comes to the chances of making it into the semifinal. Infact, the Tigers, who were thumped by 87 runs by the Netherlands -- an associate nation -- in their last game in Kolkata, will be the first team to be knocked out of the tournament if they lose today.  

Bangladesh will be desperate to finish in the top seven in the World Cup standings in order to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy, and to do so, the Tigers must beat Pakistan today. Needless to say, Bangladesh will have to win the rest of their three matches in order to end up in a favourable position in the 10-team table. 

Burdened by the constant shuffling in the order, Bangladesh's batters failed to leave any mark in the apex tournament – even Mahmudullah Riyad's century, the lone ton by a Bangladeshi this edition, came during a 149-run thumping at the hands of a high-flying South Africa.

It won't be a surprise if the Tigers' think tank makes a few changes for today's clash. With no options left in the opening slot, young Tanzid Hasan Tamim is expected to get one more opportunity to provide a flying start alongside Liton Das and provide the platform for the remaining batters.

Skipper Shakib is also due to deliver with the bat in this World Cup. Shakib's trip to Dhaka in order to practise with his childhood mentor Nazmul Adedeen Fahim midway through the tournament in India only added to criticisms from all quarters, and the champion all-rounder is yet to show a reflection of his work.

Shakib had an injury scare during batting practise yesterday as he left the nets, complaining of neck pain. However, he returned to training after having received treatment and with straps wrapped around his neck.