With the main stage of the ICC World Twenty20 fast approaching, many of cricket's biggest hitters will soon be strutting their stuff and trying to smash longsuffering bowlers into the stands...
Ireland and Oman Trade Amazing Pieces of Fielding in World T20 1st Round
From the moment it left the bat, that ball was headed way over the rope, but Wilson was determined to change that.
If this is the quality on display in the first round, just imagine how good this tournament will be when the big boys turn up.
Titillating.
ICC World T20 2016 Results: Updated Schedule, Tables After Wednesday's Scores
Mar 9, 2016
Ireland's William Porterfield(R)is watched by Oman's captain and wicketkeeper Sultan Ahmed as he plays a shot during the World T20 cricket tournament match between Ireland and Oman at The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on March 9, 2016. / AFP / STRINGER (Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)
Ireland suffered a shock loss in their first match of the ICC World T20 2016, going down to Oman by two wickets with just two balls remaining in a thrilling contest.
Chasing down 154 for five, Oman looked to be dead and buried before a fine knock from Aamer Ali took them to brink of victory, departing with his team needing three runs to win from the last two balls. Then, in a critical moment, the pressure clearly got to Ireland bowler Max Sorensen, who comically bowled five no balls off the penultimate delivery.
Earlier, Bangladesh made a winning start to their tournament as they beat the Netherlands by eight runsin Dharamsala's Group A clash.
Tamim Iqbal was the hero for the subcontinent side; the opener's 83 not out was the only score of any real note as Bangladesh edged past 150 from their 20 overs. The total proved too good for the Netherlands to chase down despite a decent start to their innings, with Bangladesh's bowlers showing admirable control when it mattered.
Here's how the group standings look after Day 2, along with the remaining schedule for the tournament:
Group A
Mat
Won
Lost
Tied
NR
Pts
NRR
Bangladesh
1
1
0
0
0
2
+0.400
Oman
1
1
0
0
0
2
+0.283
Ireland
1
0
1
0
0
0
-0.283
Netherlands
1
0
1
0
0
0
-0.400
Group B
Mat
Won
Lost
Tied
NR
Pts
NRR
Zimbabwe
1
1
0
0
0
2
+0.700
Afghanistan
1
1
0
0
0
2
+0.700
Scotland
1
0
1
0
0
0
-0.700
Hong Kong
1
0
1
0
0
0
-0.700
Match
Group/Stage
Date
Time (GMT)
Fixture
Match 5
Group B
Thursday, Mar 10
9:30 a.m.
Scotland vs. Zimbabwe
Match 6
Group B
Thursday, Mar 10
2 p.m.
Hong Kong vs. Afghanistan
Match 7
Group A
Friday, Mar 11
9:30 a.m.
Netherlands vs. Oman
Match 8
Group A
Friday, Mar 11
2 p.m.
Bangladesh vs. Ireland
Match 9
Group B
Saturday, Mar 12
9:30 a.m.
Zimbabwe vs. Afghanistan
Match 10
Group B
Saturday, Mar 12
2 p.m.
Scotland vs. Hong Kong
Match 11
Group A
Sunday, Mar 13
9:30 a.m.
Netherlands vs. Ireland
Match 12
Group A
Sunday, Mar 13
2 p.m.
Bangladesh vs. Oman
Match 13
Group 2
Tuesday, Mar 15
2 p.m.
New Zealand vs. India
Match 14
Group 2
Wednesday, Mar 16
9:30 a.m.
Pakistan vs. A1
Match 15
Group 1
Wednesday, Mar 16
2 p.m.
West Indies vs. England
Match 16
Group 1
Thursday, Mar 17
2 p.m.
Sri Lanka vs. B1
Match 17
Group 2
Friday, Mar 18
9:30 a.m.
Australia vs. New Zealand
Match 18
Group 1
Friday, Mar 18
2 p.m.
South Africa vs. England
Match 19
Group 2
Saturday, Mar 19
2 p.m.
India vs. Pakistan
Match 20
Group 1
Sunday, Mar 20
9:30 a.m.
South Africa vs. B1
Match 21
Group 1
Sunday, Mar 20
2 p.m.
Sri Lanka vs. West Indies
Match 22
Group 2
Monday, Mar 21
2 p.m.
Australia vs. A1
Match 23
Group 2
Tuesday, Mar 22
2 p.m.
New Zealand vs. Pakistan
Match 24
Group 1
Wednesday, Mar 23
9:30 a.m.
England vs. B1
Match 25
Group 2
Wednesday, Mar 23
2 p.m.
India vs. A1
Match 26
Group 2
Friday, Mar 25
9:30 a.m.
Pakistan vs. Australia
Match 27
Group 1
Friday, Mar 25
2 p.m.
South Africa vs. West Indies
Match 28
Group 2
Saturday, Mar 26
9:30 a.m.
A1 vs. New Zealand
Match 29
Group 1
Saturday, Mar 26
2 p.m.
Sri Lanka vs. England
Match 30
Group 1
Sunday, Mar 27
9:30 a.m.
B1 vs. West Indies
Match 31
Group 2
Sunday, Mar 27
2 p.m.
India vs. Australia
Match 32
Group 1
Monday, Mar 28
2 p.m.
South Africa vs. Sri Lanka
Semi-Final 1
Knockout
Wednesday, Mar 30
1:30 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD
Semi-Final 2
Knockout
Thursday, Mar 31
1:30 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD
Final
Knockout
Sunday, Apr 3
1:30 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD
Ireland vs. Oman
Oman 157 for 8 (19.4 overs, Maqsood 38, McBrine 2-15) beat Ireland 154 for 5 (Wilson 38, Ansari 3-37) by two wickets.
Ireland’s star men were unable to completely cut loose at the crease, with scoring steady rather than spectacular after they won the toss and opted to bat.
The men in green had the reliable duo of William Porterfield and Paul Stirling at the top of the order, and they each made 29. But the run-rate wasn’t substantial enough for a 20-over match, with the Oman bowlers doing well to keep a lid on things.
Some spectacular fielding helped in that aspect too. As we can see courtesy of OddsChecker, with Ireland just one wicket down, Zeeshab Maqsood pulled off this stunning catch to dismiss Stirling:
From there Ireland found it tough to kick on. Their dangerous middle order or Gary Wilson, Niall O’Brien and Kevin O’Brien has seen this team do some real damage down the years, but aside from a 34-ball 38 from the former of the trio, scoring was not only small, but slow too.
Munis Ansari deserves credit for that, though, as he dismissed all three players aforementioned, finishing up with figures of three for 37. HoldingWilleyCricket noted that the Oman bowler’s action was resemblant of a well-known Sri Lanka star:
His bowling action might resemble Lasith Malinga's, but his accuracy meter is much poorer! He is Munis Ansari. #IREvOMAN#wt20
— HoldingWilleyCricket (@holdingwilley) March 9, 2016
So Ansari bowls yorkers too, besides resembling Malinga's action! #IREvOMA#wt20
— HoldingWilleyCricket (@holdingwilley) March 9, 2016
It was an action the batting side failed to cope with, as Ireland eventually stuttering to 154, with 10 not out from three balls key from Andy McBrine. The match seemed in the balance at the mid-point, but a fine start from the Omani openers saw them move into what looked to be a potentially match-winning position.
O'Brien took vital wickets to get Ireland back on track.
Maqsood (38) and Khawar Ali (34) put on 69 for the first wicket, before Kevin O’Brien stepped up to sap their momentum. The all-rounder dismissed both openers in the space of three overs; as we can see here, he only narrowly avoided a serious injury, as Khawar showed his frustration, per Joe.ie’s Darragh Murphy:
Any impetus suddenly seeped away from the Omani players and when McBrine stepped up to secure two more quick-fire wickets, leaving the chasing side on 90 for five, the match looked to be up. But Oman continued to battle and with Aamer coming to the crease and playing his shots with conviction, they made it to the last over needing 14 to win.
That suddenly became nine when the batsman smashed a no ball from Sorensen to the boundary and then four from three when Ajay Lalcheta also latched onto a poor delivery. The momentum shifted again as Sorensen trapped Ali, who played superbly for his 32 from 17 balls, LBW.
It left Oman needing three from the last two balls, but rather remarkably the Irish bowler lost his nerve spectacularly, as a full toss flew past the batsman, through the wicket-keeper's legs and careered to the boundary for five no balls. The underdogs had their victory, sparking wild celebrations amongst the players.
Bangladesh vs. Netherlands
Bangladesh 153 for 7 (Tamim 83, Van der Gugten 3-21) beat Netherlands 145 for 7 (Borren 29, Shakib 2-28) by eight runs.
Having won the toss, the Dutch chose to field first and managed to restrict Bangladesh to 33 in the first six overs, while Paul van Meekeren dismissed Soumya Sarkar caught behind for 15.
In fact, most of the top order were almost all seen off for few runs, with danger men Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah both failing to get past 10.
However, the Netherlands could not dismiss the excellent Tamim, whose unbeaten contribution accounted for more than half of his side's total.
He hit six fours and three sixes in his innings, keeping calm as wickets fell around him and pushing Bangladesh beyond 150.
The ICC provided his mid-innings wagon wheel showing how varied his scoring areas were:
There was hope for the Netherlands, though, and they made a better start than their opponents had, getting 39 runs from the opening powerplay for the loss of just Wesley Barresi.
After nine overs they were 63-2, one run ahead of Bangladesh at the same stage for the loss of the same amount of wickets.
However, the Dutch needed someone to open up and find a few boundaries, but some excellent bowling from Shakib and Mashrafe Mortaza in the middle overs made it very tricky work.
Skipper Peter Borren made a battling 29 from 28 balls in the middle order, but he was eventually caught by Nasir Hossain in the 16th over trying to go big on the leg side.
ESPN Cricinfo's Mohammad Islam showed just how difficult it had been to score off Mortaza when he finished his spell after the 18th over:
What a spell from Mashrafe Mortaza. Gave away just one four off the bat in 4 overs, 1/14 in 4 overs.
Mudassar Bukhari scored a four and huge six as he and Pieter Seelaar score 16 in the penultimate over to give the Netherlands a sniff of victory needing 17 off the final six balls.
However, Bukhari was run out as he looked to hare home in the second ball of the last over and the European side eventually fell short.
ICC World T20 2016 Results: Updated Schedule, Tables After Tuesday's Scores
Mar 8, 2016
Zimbabwe's Vusi Sibanda acknowledges the crowd afer scoring a half-century (50 runs) during the opening match of the T20 Cricket World Cup against Hong Kong in the Indian town of Nagpur on March 8, 2016.
/ AFP / STRINGER (Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)
Afghanistan got their ICC World T20 campaign off to a perfect start on Tuesday, as they notched a 14-run win over Scotland in Nagpur.
A classy 61 from Mohammad Shahzad set up a total of 170 for five for Afghanistan and while Scotland got off to a strong start, none of their star players were able to push on after getting themselves set. Eventually, they finished up on 156 for five from their 20 overs at the crease.
Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe prevailed in the first match of the tournament with a 14-runvictory over Hong Kong.
Vusi Sibanda's 59 and a late 13-ball 30 from Elton Chigumbura saw Zimbabwe to 158 from their 20 overs in the Group B clash. Hong Kong started their chase steadily before some big-hitting from Jamie Atkinson gave them a sniff of a big upset, but some tight Zimbabwean bowling eventually proved too good.
Here are the results, standings and schedule, as well as a look back two fine matches to get the tournament underway.
Group A
Mat
Won
Lost
Tied
NR
Pts
NRR
Bangladesh
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.000
Ireland
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.000
Netherlands
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.000
Oman
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.000
Group B
Mat
Won
Lost
Tied
NR
Pts
NRR
Zimbabwe
1
1
0
0
0
2
+0.700
Afghanistan
1
1
0
0
0
2
+0.700
Scotland
1
0
1
0
0
0
-0.700
Hong Kong
1
0
1
0
0
0
-0.700
Match
Group/Stage
Date
Time (GMT)
Fixture
Match 3
Group A
Wednesday, Mar 9
9:30 a.m.
Bangladesh vs. Netherlands
Match 4
Group A
Wednesday, Mar 9
2 p.m.
Ireland vs. Oman
Match 5
Group B
Thursday, Mar 10
9:30 a.m.
Scotland vs. Zimbabwe
Match 6
Group B
Thursday, Mar 10
2 p.m.
Hong Kong vs. Afghanistan
Match 7
Group A
Friday, Mar 11
9:30 a.m.
Netherlands vs. Oman
Match 8
Group A
Friday, Mar 11
2 p.m.
Bangladesh vs. Ireland
Match 9
Group B
Saturday, Mar 12
9:30 a.m.
Zimbabwe vs. Afghanistan
Match 10
Group B
Saturday, Mar 12
2 p.m.
Scotland vs. Hong Kong
Match 11
Group A
Sunday, Mar 13
9:30 a.m.
Netherlands vs. Ireland
Match 12
Group A
Sunday, Mar 13
2 p.m.
Bangladesh vs. Oman
Match 13
Group 2
Tuesday, Mar 15
2 p.m.
New Zealand vs. India
Match 14
Group 2
Wednesday, Mar 16
9:30 a.m.
Pakistan vs. A1
Match 15
Group 1
Wednesday, Mar 16
2 p.m.
West Indies vs. England
Match 16
Group 1
Thursday, Mar 17
2 p.m.
Sri Lanka vs. B1
Match 17
Group 2
Friday, Mar 18
9:30 a.m.
Australia vs. New Zealand
Match 18
Group 1
Friday, Mar 18
2 p.m.
South Africa vs. England
Match 19
Group 2
Saturday, Mar 19
2 p.m.
India vs. Pakistan
Match 20
Group 1
Sunday, Mar 20
9:30 a.m.
South Africa vs. B1
Match 21
Group 1
Sunday, Mar 20
2 p.m.
Sri Lanka vs. West Indies
Match 22
Group 2
Monday, Mar 21
2 p.m.
Australia vs. A1
Match 23
Group 2
Tuesday, Mar 22
2 p.m.
New Zealand vs. Pakistan
Match 24
Group 1
Wednesday, Mar 23
9:30 a.m.
England vs. B1
Match 25
Group 2
Wednesday, Mar 23
2 p.m.
India vs. A1
Match 26
Group 2
Friday, Mar 25
9:30 a.m.
Pakistan vs. Australia
Match 27
Group 1
Friday, Mar 25
2 p.m.
South Africa vs. West Indies
Match 28
Group 2
Saturday, Mar 26
9:30 a.m.
A1 vs. New Zealand
Match 29
Group 1
Saturday, Mar 26
2 p.m.
Sri Lanka vs. England
Match 30
Group 1
Sunday, Mar 27
9:30 a.m.
B1 vs. West Indies
Match 31
Group 2
Sunday, Mar 27
2 p.m.
India vs. Australia
Match 32
Group 1
Monday, Mar 28
2 p.m.
South Africa vs. Sri Lanka
Semi-Final 1
Knockout
Wednesday, Mar 30
1:30 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD
Semi-Final 2
Knockout
Thursday, Mar 31
1:30 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD
Final
Knockout
Sunday, Apr 3
1:30 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD
Afghanistan vs. Scotland
Afghanistan 170 for five (Shahzad 61, Asghar 55) beat Scotland 156 for five (Munsey 41, Coetzer 40) by 14 runs.
After winning the toss and deciding to bat the pressure was on the Afghans' top order to fire and Shahzad, undeniably their best player, lead from the front.
The opener played with purpose and poise during his time at the crease, which is never easy in the first game of a major tournament. Indeed, his knock of 61 runs came from just 39 balls, of which five were fours and three were sixes.
Shahzad was the key man in Afghanistan's win.
Cricket reporter Peter Miller noted the improvements made in Shahzad’s play as of late and how much better his game looks because of it:
Supporting the opener were Asghar Stanikzai, who anchored the innings with a fine 55 not out from 50 balls. Then at the death, with Afghanistan needing a late surge, Shafiqullah delivered, hitting 14 from just five balls and helping his side post a testing total of 170.
While a target of 171 can be tough from 120 balls, the Scotland openers looked as though they were going to build the foundations for a comfortable win.
Coetzer helped Scotland to a strong start, but his team-mates were unable to capitalise.
George Munsey (41) and Kyle Coetzer (40) put on 84 for the opening wicket inside nine overs. But when they each fell in the space of three balls, suddenly 85 for two wasn’t looking particularly healthy.
In a small silver lining for the Scotland openers, they did set a new landmark with their stand, per ESPNcricinfo’s Bharath Seervi:
84-run partnership between Coetzer and Munsey is the highest for 1st wkt in T20Is in India beating 80-run by Limb-Hales v Ind, Dec 2012
Sadly for them, it would not pave the way to victory as from there, with the run rate rapidly rising, Scotland toiled. Wickets didn’t come in bursts, but the subtle spin variations of Amir Hamza and Rashid Khan made scoring difficult for the Scotland batsman, who were left frustrated as their chances of a win whittled away.
Matt Machan was able to strike 36 from 31 balls in the next best effort, but it ultimately proved to be a futile resistance, as Afghanistan were comfortable in the final two overs.
Scotland will be mightily disappointed not to have capitalised on such a positive start to the chase, although credit must go to the Afghanistan spinners, who sucked the life out of the innings with their controlled bowling, and Shahzad, who is a player that looks primed to light up this World Cup.
Zimbabwe vs. Hong Kong
Zimbabwe 158 for 8 (Sibanda 59, Chigumbura 30) beat Hong Kong 144 for 6 (Atkinson 53, Afzal 31) by 14 runs.
Hong Kong won the toss and opted to field first. Zimbabwe got off to a flying start as Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza both found their groove early on.
Masakadza hit 20 off 13 balls before he was run out in the third over. Zimbabwe's run rate then slowed slightly after the early blitz.
Indeed, when their fourth wicket fell for 62 in the eighth over, the African side were struggling.
Crucially, though, Sibanda was still at the crease and his steady progress proved vital. He picked up the pace slightly and reached his fifty with a six, per Cricbuzz:
Vusi Sibanda registers a maiden T20I FIFTY. 5 fours and a six in his innings so far. #ZIM look set for the "slogathon". #WT20
Chigumbura joined him in the middle when Malcolm Waller was dismissed for a useful 26, and he provided the necessary big-hitting that would prove the difference in the end.
Three sixes from the No. 7 moved Zimbabwe's score beyond the 150 mark, and Hong Kong will have been disappointed by some loose late bowling.
Atkinson was the key man for Hong Kong as they looked to chase down the 159 target. He led from the front, his 53 coming off 44 balls before he was dismissed by Donald Tiripano in the 17th over with the score at 108 for 4.
Some quick runs from Anshuman Rath and captain Tanwir Afzal then gave Hong Kong a slight chance of pulling off a victory.
However, a couple of late wickets slowed the tempo and they were left needing 23 runs from the last over, with Tiripano then restricting Hong Kong brilliantly to hand Zimbabwe a 14-run triumph.
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Mohammad Amir Takes 2-6 off 4 Overs as Pakistan Beat UAE in Asia Cup
Feb 29, 2016
Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir, center, celebrates with his teammates the wicket of United Arab Emirates’ Muhammad Kaleem during their Asia Cup Twenty20 international cricket match in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)
Mohammad Amir recorded sensational figures of 2-6 from his four overs as Pakistan beat the United Arab Emirates in their Asia Cup Twenty20 international match.
The fast bowler, who only returned to international cricket in January after a five-year ban for spot fixing, bowled 21 dot balls as Pakistan restricted their opponents to 129/6 off 20 overs.
Pakistan struggled initially in their reply, slipping to 17/3 from 3.1 overs, before Umar Akmal (50*) and Shoaib Malik (63*) steadied the ship and provided a late acceleration to reach the target from 18.4 overs.
Amir's figures were the 16th most economical ever recorded in a T20I, per ESPNcricinfo, as Pakistan recorded their first win of the 2016 Asia Cup.
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Pakistan vs. UAE, Asia Cup: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Feb 28, 2016
Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir, back to camera, celebrates with his teammates after the dismissal of India’s Rohit Sharma, unseen,during the Asia Cup Twenty20 international cricket match between them in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)
Pakistan will seek to put their disappointing performance against India on Saturday behind them when they take on cricketing minnows United Arab Emirates in Dhaka.
But how did the defeat to their archrivals affect Shahid Afridi's men? And can the Middle Eastern team take advantage of their shell-shocked opponents to claim the biggest scalp in their history?
Let's take a look at how the two teams are shaping up ahead of this intriguing contest.
Date: Monday, 29 February
Time: 7:30 p.m. local (1:30 p.m. GMT)
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh
Live Stream and TV Info: Fox Sports (Australia), DD National/Star Sports (India), GEO Super/PTV Sports (Pakistan), TNL TV (Sri Lanka), Star/Channel 9 (Bangladesh), Life OK (UK), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Yupptv.com (Live streaming service available in Europe).
Weather: According to BBC Weather, we have a day of unblemished sunshine giving way to a warm, pleasant evening in Dhaka.
Overview
Pakistan will still be having nightmares about their batting efforts against India, but they'll need to put this behind them quickly if they are to, as expected, dispatch the UAE.
While Mohammad Amir's early burst made the non-contest against MS Dhoni and Co. seem closer than it actually was, to be dismissed for just 83 by their archrivals will hurt.
Sarfraz Ahmed top-scored with 25 runs, extras was next with 15 and nine players registered single-figure scores.
Total embarrassment was saved by Amir ripping out three early wickets but, in terms of plus points, that was about it, which is worrying with the T20 World Cup just around the corner.
Of course, Pakistan should find the going easier against a UAE side that, despite progressing from the qualifying stages with ease, have lost two from two in the main phase of the competition.
This was followed by a comprehensive loss to Bangladesh where they could only muster 82 in response to the Tigers' first innings of 133.
Bangladesh cricket captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (L) celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of the United Arab Emirates cricketer Shaiman Anwar during the match between Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates at the Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament at th
The likes of Amjad Javed and Mohammad Naveed, who've taken nine wickets between them, and leg-spinner Ahmed Raza, who has posted an economy rate of 3.88 from his eight overs, have been impressive.
But the UAE's main issue in both games has been scoring runs.
Their top four have contributed just 45 runs in total across both games, while their highest individual score so far was 37 from Swapnil Patil.
Clearly they need to address this if they're going to cause a huge upset.
T20I head-to-head record and last meeting
This is the first-ever official T20 between the sides; however, the teams contested an ODI at the 2015 World Cup with Pakistan easing to a substantial 129-run win in Napier, New Zealand.
Squads
Pakistan
Shahid Afridi (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Anwar Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khurram Manzoor, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Sami, Sharjeel Khan.
UAE
Amjad Javed (capt), Swapnil Patil, Ahmed Raza, Fahad Tariq, Farhan Ahmed, Mohammad Naveed, Mohammad Shahzad, Mohammad Usman, Muhammad Kaleem, Qadeer Ahmed, Rohan Mustafa, Saqlain Haider, Shaiman Anwar, Usman Mushtaq, Zaheer Maqsood.
Key Players
Pakistan
Since returning from a five-year ban for spot fixing, Mohammad Amir has hit the ground running to reinstall himself as Pakistan's premier pace bowler.
As India's top order will testify, the left-armer's mix of pace, swing and control is a significant test for any batsman, and he could fill his boots against the UAE's part-timers.
UAE
Amjad Javed has taken 15 wickets in his last eight T20s and, as evidenced by his 3-25 against Sri Lanka, isn't fazed by the quality of the opposition.
The UAE's skipper may work for Emirates Airlines in his day job, but his country need him to be firing on all cylinders if they are to fly in this game.
Prediction
Given Pakistan's consistent inconsistency, it would be no surprise if they have a wobble at some point in this game.
But surely their potent seam attack will prove too strong for the UAE's run-shy batsmen.
Bangladesh vs. UAE, Asia Cup: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview
Feb 25, 2016
United Arab Emirates’ captain, Amjad Javed, left, celebrates with teammate Shaiman Anwar, right, after the dismissal of Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal, center, during their Asia Cup Twenty20 international cricket match in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)
Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates both made losing starts to their 2016 Asia Cup campaigns, which pretty much makes this a must-win clash.
Of course, the relatively experienced hosts will start as heavy favourites, but as evidenced by their plucky performance against Sri Lanka, the UAE seem capable of springing a surprise.
Let's take a look at how the two teams are shaping up ahead of this intriguing contest.
Date: Friday, 26 February
Time: 7.30 p.m. local (1.30 p.m GMT)
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh
Live Stream and TV Info: Fox Sports (Australia), DD National/Star Sports (India), GEO Super/PTV Sports (Pakistan), TNL TV (Sri Lanka), Star/Channel 9 (Bangladesh), Life OK (UK), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Yupptv.com (Live streaming service available in Europe).
Weather: It doesn't look good, according to BBC Weather, with dark clouds and rain set to feature in the evening. With this in mind, expect the captain who wins the toss to bowl first.
Overview
With just the top two sides going on to contest the Asia Cup final, making a positive start to the group stage is crucial if one of these teams are going to push for glory.
Or perhaps more accurately, avoid the wooden spoon.
Sadly, both Bangladesh and the UAE did just the opposite in falling to defeats against India and Sri Lanka respectively.
On a pitch that provided plenty of help to the bowlers, the Tigers allowed MS Dhoni's men to register a useful total of 166 in the competition's opening clash that, despite Sabbir Rahman's 32-ball 44, proved 45 runs too many.
The UAE would have been cock-a-hoop at restricting the current ICC T20 world champions Sri Lanka to just 129 from their allotted overs on Thursday.
However, as he has done to many sides over the years, Lasith Malinga blew the Middle Easterners' top order away and the ICC Associates fell 14 runs short in a low-scoring tussle.
Facing bowlers of the calibre of Malinga, and Rangana Herath and Nuwan Kulasekara for that matter, is something the UAE will need to get used to quickly if they are to claim a scalp in this tournament.
And this battle could be the key area that decides this encounter.
Their top four batsmen, Mohammad Shahzad, Muhammad Usman, Rohan Mustafa and Muhammad Kaleem, scored the majority of runs in the qualifying stages that yielded three wins from three games.
But that group combined for only 14 runs from 23 balls against significantly better opposition.
Can they up their game and handle Bangladesh's upcoming 20-year-old pace duo of Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman adeptly?
Similarly, the Tigers will need to bat with much more nous than they did against India where only Rahman managed to score more than 17 and their highest partnership was 35.
Of course, facing the UAE's part-time bowlers is a different kettle of fish than India's megastars, and the likes of Rahman, Soumya Sarkar and Shoaib Al Hasan will be looking to top up their averages.
And that's exactly what the normally enthusiastic home support will be expecting.
Taking place just 24 hours after the UAE's previous outing, this contest should prove a step too far for the minnows who will need to recover quickly from the defeat to Sri Lanka if they're to be competitive here.
T20I head-to-head record and last meeting
This is the first-ever official T20 International between the sides; however, Bangladesh eased to a four-wicket win when they met in a warm-up match for the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014.
Squads
Bangladesh
Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Arafat Sunny, Abu Hider, Nurul Hasan
UAE
Amjad Javed (capt), Swapnil Patil, Ahmed Raza, Fahad Tariq, Farhan Ahmed, Mohammad Naveed, Mohammad Shahzad, Mohammad Usman, Muhammad Kaleem, Qadeer Ahmed, Rohan Mustafa, Saqlain Haider, Shaiman Anwar, Usman Mushtaq, Zaheer Maqsood
Key Players
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan is clearly Bangladesh's top player and is capable of winning games with both bat and ball as evidenced by his hauls of 210 wickets and 2,813 runs from 174 T20 appearances. A veteran at the age of 28 years old, Al Hasan might not be the skipper anymore, but expect him to lead from the front here and throughout this tournament.
UAE's batsman Amjad Javed looks on during a Cricket World Cup Pool B match between South Africa and the United Arab Emirates at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington on March 12, 2015. AFP PHOTO / MARTY MELVILLE (Photo credit should read Marty
UAE
As well as working full-time for Emirates Airlines, Amjad Javed captains his country and is their strongest player. The versatile all-rounder can do numerous jobs for the team, but it's his late-order hitting and nagging seamers that could be most valuable here as evidenced by his haul of 3/25 against Sri Lanka.
Prediction
Given Heath Streak's men have home advantage and will be urged on by a fervent support, it is hard to see anything other than a Bangladesh win. That said, pressure can do funny things and the UAE weren't a million miles away from springing a shock against Sri Lanka. But expect Bangladesh to open their tournament account here.
