Al Amerat, Oct 20: Their campaign back on track, Bangladesh will start as overwhelming favourites when they face Papua New Guinea in a must-win Group B league game of the T20 World Cup here on Thursday.
Bangladesh, who came into the tournament as the sixth-ranked team after having beaten the likes of New Zealand and Australia at home, suffered a shock six-run defeat against Scotland.
But the Mahmudullah-led side bounced back in style, getting the better of Oman by 26 runs on Tuesday night. Bangladesh will need a win to keep their chances of making it to the Super12 alive, as they only have two points from two games, and are placed third with a net run-rate of +0.500.
A win against Papua New Guinea will give them two crucial points and then they would also hope that Oman lose their final game against Scotland, who have already qualified from the group, to ensure their passage into the next stage.
For that to happen, opener Mohammad Naim, who scored a match-winning 64 in their game against Oman, will have to continue his good form. In addition, he would need support from the likes of Liton Das, one-down Mahedi Hasan and skipper Mahmudullah, as their middle-order needs to come good. Also the role of star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan would be crucial for the Asian side.
Shakib has been among the runs and wickets and he could pose a serious challenge to the PNG batters on a track that is conducive for spinners. Their bowlers led by Mustafizur Rahman put up an impressive show against Oman.
Meanwhile, the Assad Vala-led Papa New Guinea lost both their games against Oman (by 10 wickets) and Scotland (by 17 runs) and are already out of contention. (PTI)
