The European Cricket Network live broadcasts the 2020 European Cricket Series Barcelona encounter between Bengali and Pakcelona.
Tune in to the live action Thursday from 9am CEST * 8am UK * 7am GMT * 12:30pm IST from the Montjuïc ground in Barcelona, Spain.
Team Preview for Bengali
Bengali CC have only played two games so far in the series and are without a win, including going down in the Golden Ball match on opening day to Fateh. Because they have games in hand they can still make a run to the top of the table, but need to get the wins rolling soon before the door slams on their European Cricket Series opportunity. They will feature in three of the four matches on Wednesday.
Captain: Riaz Howlader
Main Wicketkeeper: Shafiqur Rahman
Key Players:
Omar Ali looks to be Bengali’s most accomplished batsman. He will open the batting and leads their series run tally by some margin. He can also roll his arm over if required and has the knack of picking up important wickets.
Riaz Howlader was incredible against the Catalunya Tigers, dragging his side back into the game with a spell of 4 for 14 with his dibbly dobblers. With tha bat, te hasn’t fired at the top of the order and is likely to bat at number four in search of some much-needed runs.
Mosaraf Hossain is a go-to bowling option for Bengali, but we’ve seen him bat as high as number three in the order in this tournament. He could be the pinch-hitting option that will take them to a competitive total.
Shafiqur Rahman will open the Bengali innings and is a very tidy keeper. He hasn’t fired with the bat yet but is one to watch.
Team Preview for Pakcelona
Pakcelona CC.
Captain: Raja Khaliq-ur-Rehman
Main Wicketkeeper: Jahanzaib Asghar
Key Players:
Shahzad Khan will bat in the key number three position. He has been a star with the ball and is currently Pakcelona’s leading wicket-taker with five wickets, consistently being effective with the ball in hand. Watch out for him to make an impact on this match.
Qaiser Zulfiqar will open the batting. He has had one good outing of 48 but his other two innings have been failures. No doubt he will be keen to get back amongst the runs and set his team up for victory.
Raja Khaliq-ur-Rehman is a very experienced cricketer. His off spinners don’t turn too much but he has excellent control and is capable of subtle variations. The captain might even choose to take the new ball as a tactic to unsettle the opposition openers.
Azeem Azam has been the most economical of the Pakcelona bowlers, conceding only a miserly 6.66 runs per over.
Mr Maximo’s tip: PAKCELONA
This game seems like a toss-up to me as the teams seem very even on paper. On one hand, Bengali have a clearer path to the semi finals with games in hand, whereas Pakcelona have the experience of playing twice as many matches in the series to date. After going back and forth I felt that Pakcelona’s greater exposure to the format gives them a bit of an advantage, and so I predict that they will win the first match of the day. Don’t count out Bengali though, with three of their group matches taking place on Wednesday, if they turn up they could rocket into contention! Don’t miss a ball of the action on the European Cricket Network, in what’s shaping up to be a very intriguing series indeed.
