New Delhi: The Bangladesh cricket team will hope opening batsman Tamim Iqbal delivers the goods for them in a high-voltage clash against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Tamim, on Monday, was called for remaining part of the Asia Cup as a replacement for pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who was ruled out with injury.
Tamim, who is a regular member of the side, was earlier allowed to skip the Asia Cup to be with his wife, who gave birth to a baby boy in Bangkok on Sunday.
The hosts have struggled to find the impetus upfront in all three matches so far in the tournament. The pitches at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, have assisted to pace bowling in the early overs with most sides struggling so far.
Bangladesh will hope their luck will change with Tamim's comeback. The southpaw has been one of the Tigers' main players in recent times and his experience will be pivotal against a world class bowling attack.
Tamim is likely to take the place of a struggling Mohammad Mithun.
Negotiating Mohammad Amir will be the key for the Tigers and Tamim is their best bet to apply himself and score boundaries in the powerplay overs.
It will be interesting to see whether Tamim makes the difference for his side, given he rejoined the training camp on Monday and plays his first match in a crucial phase.
Meanwhile, the injury to Mustafizur has served as a big blow to the hosts after the pacer played a key role in Bangladesh’s 23-run win over Sri Lanka earlier.
Bangladesh, who have four points from three matches, will qualify for the March 6 final if they can beat Pakistan on Wednesday.
