Pakistan and Bangladesh are gearing up for a high-stakes encounter in the 17th match of the Asia Cup, scheduled for Thursday in Dubai. With both teams eyeing a place in the final, the match is being billed as a virtual semi-final. This is a do-or-die contest for both teams in order to strengthen their path to the final.

Pakistan’s campaign in this Asia Cup has been a bumpy ride. They stumbled early in the Super Four stage, suffering a defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India. That loss exposed some chinks in their armor, particularly in the middle order and death bowling. However, they showcased their talent by bouncing back strongly in their next match, pulling off a crucial win against Sri Lanka in a nervy encounter. Heading into the match against Bangladesh, Pakistan will need a more collective effort if they hope to edge past Bangladesh.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, have had their fair share of ups and downs. While they were beaten by India in their last outing on Wednesday, their overall campaign has not been without excellence. Bangladesh have fought hard in every match, showing their ability to challenge top teams. As the tournament now nears its climax, the match between Pakistan and Bangladesh is nothing short of a knockout. Moreover, for Bangladesh, it’s an opportunity to prove that they are no longer underdogs by demolishing Pakistan. 

Head-to-head

Pakistan and Bangladesh have met each other 25 times in T20Is, with Pakistan leading the winning graph with 20 wins against Bangladesh's 5 victories.

Bangladesh probable XI: Tanzid Hasan, Saif Hassan, Litton Das (c&wk), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman

Pakistan probable XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed