Pakistan and Bangladesh Seek Pride in Dead Rubber

At this stage of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the battle for qualification reaches its peak, with Pakistan and Bangladesh facing off in a dead rubber match. The teams have already been eliminated from the tournament, with Pakistan beaten by New Zealand and India, and Bangladesh also defeated by New Zealand and India.

Pakistan's batting struggles were evident, with the team managing only 260 in a chase of 321 and 241 when setting a target. Bangladesh's batting was also underwhelming, with the team managing only 228 and 240 in their two innings.

The teams' bowling performances were also mediocre, with Bangladesh managing to make a spirited fight with some bowling, but ultimately unable to stem the tide of Pakistan's batting.

The match is expected to be a low-scoring affair, with a forecast of rain threatening to disrupt the game. The teams will be playing for pride, rather than progression, and will be looking to give their disappointed fans something to cheer for.

When: Thursday, February 27 at 2:00 PM Local Time

Where: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

Probable XI:

• Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
• Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mustafizur Rahman

Key Quotes:

• "We need to improve a lot as a batting unit, but we did the same mistakes over and over. We have to really, really focus on how we want to improve our batting." – Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh captain