Pakistan vs Bangladesh Highlights, Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in Super 4 clash

OUT! Naseem Shah strikes first ball as Mehidy Hasan Miraz is out for a golden duck. It was a nothing delivery, to be honest. A loosener on the pads and Mehidy just chipped it straight to the square leg fielder. Not the start Bangladesh were hoping for. But Naseem won't complain. He has got the last match's centurion out for a duck.

Bangladesh 0/1 after 1.1 overs

The first delivery swung away and beat Naim, the second came back in sharply to wrap the left-hander on the pads, the third once again went away but was left alone. The next delivery was driven straight to the fielder. The fifth one came back in and hit Naim on the thigh pad. The last ball was defended well. A maiden to start with by Shaheen Afridi.

Bangladesh 0/0 after 1 over

Bangladesh have decided to persist with Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mohammad Naim as their openers. That means Litton Das will bat at No.3. Shaheen Shah Afridi has the new ball in hand for Pakistan.

After observing a minute of silence in the memory of former Zimbabwe cricketer Heath Streak, who lost his prolonged battle with cancer recently, the Pakistan and Bangladesh players have lined up for the national anthems.

This is a much flatter pitch. This is the best batting pitch so far. More runs here. Anything above 300 will always be tough. It is extremely hot and humid, which will take a toll on the fielders. Seamers under lights, and a little more grass, might get a little more help: Deep Dasgupta with the pitch report.

Bangladesh Playing XI: Mohammad Naim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Shamim Hossain, Afif Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud.

Pakistan Playing XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan wins toss, ops to bat vs Pakistan in an Asia Cup Super 4 match in Lahore.

“Babar is still learning the art. Shakib is more experienced. Very difficult to compare them. But I would say it's too early. Shakib obviously controls the game better in the middle with all his experience,” said Waqar Younis.

“With limited resources, the way Shakib leads Bangladesh is commendable. Babar has the resources. His captaincy will improve,” said Aamir Sohail.

While there is joy in having Litton Das back, Bangladesh will miss the services of Najmul Hasan Shanto. The centurion of the last match has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. Liton is expected to walk into the XI but it will be interesting to see where he bats.

This is the last match of this year's Asia Cup in Pakistan as the action will shift to Colombo for the remaining matches of the tournament including the big final. Expect a large crowd today at the Gaddafi Stadium as Pakistan aim to begin Super 4 on a high.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz has emerged as one of the top all-rounders for Bangladesh in limited-overs cricket and that is doing a lot in a side that has a world-class all-rounder like Shakib Al Hasan. In their last must-win match against Afghanistan, Miraz, while opening the batting, stepped up to the occasion and smashed an unbeaten 112 off 119 balls and with the ball, he was one of the most economical of the Bangladesh bowlers returning with figures of 1/41 in his 8 overs on a high-scoring venue.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who is the current No.1-ranked ODI batter, has a good record against pretty much all the countries. He didn't get an opportunity to bat against India but if his record 151-run knock against Nepal was anything to go by then we could be in for another Babar special today. The right-hander is in top form. In the last 10 ODIs that he has played, he is averaging 60.

If Bangladesh want to maintain their stellar head-to-head record of the last five matches, then they will have to get the better of Shaheen Shah Afridi, or at least keep him at bay. The left-arm seamer is easily the best new-ball bowler of the world on current form and like we saw in the match against India, he has the capability to break the backbone of an opposition batting in his first spell. 

Pakistan: Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.

Bangladesh: Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed

In a major boost for Bangladesh, wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das has recovered from a viral fever that kept him away from the group stages and has joined the squad. He should be straightaway drafted into the XI today. 

Just like India and Pakistan, Bangladesh will Pakistan in an ODI match for the first time since the 2019 ODI World Cup. As far as head-to-head stats are concerned, Pakistan are way ahead. Bangladesh have only managed to beat them five times in the 37 ODIs that they have played against each other but there's a catch. Out of those five Bangladesh wins against Pakistan in ODIs, four have come in their last five meetings.

There's way more to the Asia Cup than just India vs Pakistan. Bangladesh and Pakistan have had their own share of intense encounters in the tournament. And today's match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore promises to add another chapter to that. On paper, Pakistan are obviously superior but count Bangladesh out at your own risk. After losing to Sri Lanka quite badly in the tournament opener, they staged a stunning comeback against Afghanistan to book their Super 4 spot. Pakistan, on the other hand, functioned like awell-oiled machine in the two group matches.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the first match of Super Four stage of Asia Cup 2023, as co-hosts Pakistan meet Bangladesh in Lahore. This will be the final match in Pakistan in the current edition.