Confident Pakistan eye clean sweep against misfiring Bangladesh

Two T20I wins against weak opposition are unlikely to convince justifiably sceptical Pakistan supporters that any kind of corner has been turned. But there is at last a sign of baby steps in the right direction. Pakistan's batting approach has begun to resemble that of a modern T20I side, one that eschews the temptation of anchoring for all-out attack. Encouragingly, they seem to have the tools for this at their disposal, with positive intent right from the outset and through the middle overs.

Having won the toss and defended high totals, what this series tells us about Pakistan's bowling is more open-ended. This isn't Pakistan's best bowling attack, particularly when it comes to the fast-bowling trio, and how successfully legspinners Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan can sustain pressure against superior batting will only become apparent in time. It is, however, to their credit that they've never once looked like letting Bangladesh into the chases, even if shutting out better sides will prove more challenging.

For Bangladesh, this tour has been a bit of a hiding to nothing. The stage was ominously set when they came into it with a series defeat against the UAE, and with some high-profile players missing, the task became even taller. There have been flashes of encouragement; Bangladesh's death bowlers have had the better of Pakistan's batters in the last few overs of both Pakistan's innings, dragging back what could easily have been much larger totals.

Lack of firepower is a clear weakness in the batting, which places even greater pressure on the bowlers. The odd cameo aside, Bangladesh have struggled to sustain an attack on a fairly underwhelming Pakistani pace bowling attack, and lost wickets in clumps at pivotal phases of the chase. Perhaps defending a total suits their game style better, but this is clearly Bangladesh's weakest format, and over the series, that has shown.

Pakistan WWLLW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLW

Mohammad Haris finally appears to be stepping into the role Pakistan envisioned for him when he broke into the side three years earlier. At No. 3, he has managed to tread that fine balance between aggression and responsibility, his innings straddling either side of the powerplay. His coming-of-age and increasing maturity are an asset to Pakistan at a time when they lack a big-hitter who is also a competent wicketkeeper. As Saim Ayub works his way back into form following his injury, Haris has stepped into those boots relatively seamlessly.

Tanzim Hasan stepped up in the second T20I with both bat and ball. He is always improving as a bowler in both white- and red-ball cricket, but it was his batting that also came to the fore in the second game. Tanzim struck the ball, and looked more than a capable No. 9 in the line-up. For a struggling batting side, that is something of a relief. For a Bangladesh side desperately looking for someone to rely on, Tanzim has put his hand up.

There's a degree of freedom for Pakistan with the series done. The batters, though, appear to have settled into a rhythm, and while Naseem Shah may come in for a game, significant changes are once more unlikely.

Pakistan (probable XI): 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Mohammad Haris (wk), 4 Hasan Nawaz, 5 Salman Agha (capt), 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Khushdil Shah, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Haris Rauf/Abbas Afridi/Naseem Shah, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Abrar Ahmed

Bangladesh are likely to ring the changes by bringing in Najmul Hossain Shanto in the top order. Shoriful Islam is out with a groin injury, so Khaled Ahmed is a likely replacement.

Bangladesh (probable XI): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das (capt), 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 6 Jaker Ali (wk), 7 Shamim Hossain, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Khaled Ahmed

Hot and dry weather is expected again, with a fresh pitch for the final game.