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Thursday, February 24, 2011

"Must win" For Bangladesh


Bangladesh captain Shakib-Al-Hasan says his side will be in a "must-win situation" when they face Ireland on Friday in Mirpur.

After a defeat to India in their opening match of the competition, the Tigers would need to get their campaign off the ground if they want to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

Ireland made it through to the second group stages four years ago and a win over Bangladesh - arguably the weakest of the Test-playing nations in Group B - would seem crucial to their hopes of progression this time.

"This is a must-win situation for us. If we don't win tomorrow, it will not be easy to qualify for the quarter-finals," Shakib said.

Ireland emerged victorious in both the 2007 World Cup and ICC World Twenty20 two years later whn they met the Tigers, but a 2008 three-match one-day series on Bangladesh soil saw the hosts win 3-0.

Conditions

"When they played last time here, they could not handle our spin," Shakib added.

"When they played in Mirpur, we beat them, so that's our advantage, and I don't think they like to play in these conditions."

Bangladesh may be forced to lean heavily on spin again as pace bowler Shafiul Islam is a doubt for the contest after picking up a shoulder in a practice session on Wednesday.

Shakib said: "Maybe we will need a change because Shafiul Islam is not 100 percent fit. We will check him tomorrow (Friday) and then we will decide."

Ireland skipper William Porterfield insists his side have learned their lessons from the drubbing they were given three years ago and will be fully prepared for the threat of spin.

"The last time we played in Bangladesh, we were taken by surprise by the heat, the humidity and the spinners," he said.

"But this time we will not be found wanting. There is a lot more preparation done and we have spent a week in Dhaka getting used to the conditions."

He added: "We know what to expect. Spin will obviously play a part in this World Cup and more so in Bangladesh, whose game plan is all about spin.

"But we feel we are ready. It has been a very good preparation for the tournament, where the focus was obviously on playing spin."

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