It’s a do or die situation for Bangladesh in the ongoing 2019 World Cup as Tigers will face India in their second last group stage match at Edgbaston in Birmingham Monday.
The equation is simple yet tough for Bangladesh as they need to win both of their remaining matches in the World Cup, against India in Birmingham and against Pakistan at Lords on Friday, to stay alive in the contention of sealing a spot for the semifinal.
Bangladesh have earned seven points so far from seven games with a net run rate of -0.133.
#Mashrafe: Need to play our best #cricket https://t.co/vDd7eLnRHL
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) July 1, 2019
A lot of calculation is still on the cards for Bangladesh to qualify for the last four but they must beat India first. If Bangladesh lose against India today, their World Cup run will end.
But the Bangladesh camp is confident of playing their best cricket against India and skipper Mashrafe Mortaza admitted they have to play and perform clinically in every department; batting, bowling or fielding to outclass India.
India have already played a game on this ground on Sunday when they lost to hosts England by 31 runs while chasing 338.
What #Tigers need to do in do or die battlehttps://t.co/ns0uTDmsyR
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) July 1, 2019
Edgbaston has a good batting track and it is expected to be a high scoring game. One side of the boundary is short as during the England-India match one side was measured as around 59-60 meters. And the match between Bangladesh-India will be played on the same pitch.
Having already played one game in the venue and pitch, India have a slight edge over Bangladesh but the Bangladesh captain believes short boundaries are for both teams and both can benefit from that area.
“I think it will be the same wicket and same ground for both teams. So I don't want to comment about it because we haven't played any matches here now. Yes, one side is pretty smaller, so the batsmen will target that area, which is normal, but I think both teams will get the same benefit here,” said Mashrafe during the pre match press conference.
Bangladesh played their last match against Afghanistan on June 24 and the players were given a four-day break after the match. Bangladesh resumed training after five days on Sunday and a few of them took part in the optional training session on Monday morning at Edgbaston.
All the players took part in the training session except for opener Tamim Iqbal.
Bangladesh have a injury headache over the availability of experienced middle-order batsman Mahmudullah. He have been suffering a grade one tier on his right calf muscle since the Afghanistan game.
#India target big partnerships against #Tigers https://t.co/Eagviy2xj4
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) July 1, 2019
Mahmudullah batted for a long time during the net session on Monday and his batting looked comfortable. But the right-hander still feels discomfort while fielding and the team management will make a last minute call about his participation in the India game.
If Mahmudullah fails to take part then either Sabbir Rahman or Mohammad Mithun will take his place in the batting order.
The weather is predicted to be partly cloudy and there is less chance of rain in Birmingham Tuesday.
