Tigers’ last chance to salvage a win

Bangladesh will have their last chance to end their disastrous ICC T20 World Cup campaign with some positivity and with a maiden win in the Super 12 stage when they take on Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium today.

It's been a horrible outing for Mahmudullah Riyad and his team, which began the campaign with a shock six-run defeat to Scotland in the qualifying stage. Even though the team eventually managed to qualify for the Super 12 stage, their campaign has only gotten worse.

Following four consecutive defeats in the Super 12 stage, Bangladesh will be hoping to end on a positive note which, however, seems difficult considering the negativity surrounding the team.

Despite the fact that Bangladesh beat Australia by a 4-1 margin in the shortest format just before the World Cup, today's contest is expected to be a much tougher one for the Tigers in Dubai, with conditions far from those in Mirpur.

Australia, currently placed in third position in Group 1 with two wins in three games, need to win both their remaining games to keep their hopes alive for a semifinal spot. But even a win against Bangladesh won't be enough for the Aussies, who will need England to beat South Africa and then pip the proteas on net run-rate.

Bangladesh will miss star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was ruled out from the last two games of the super 12 stage with a hamstring injury. Wicket-keeper batsman Nurul Hasan is yet to recover from his abdominal injury and is expected to miss the game today.

Australia, on the other hand, will hope to exploit Bangladesh's weakness against quality fast bowlers and will be desperate to return to winning ways following an eight-wicket defeat to England.