Bangladesh hope to regain some pride

Match Facts

April 13, Dhaka
Start time 2pm (0800 GMT)

The series has been decided, and with one match remaining before Australia enter hibernation mode for the winter, they have one last opportunity to experiment. James Pattinson, the Victorian fast bowler and brother of England's one-Test wonder Darren, is with the squad and this would be the perfect time to hand him his debut. Cameron White was dropped for the second match and given that Callum Ferguson didn't get to bat on Monday, there is no reason to expect that White will regain his position on Wednesday. And Tim Paine is on the sidelines as well; he could come in as a specialist batsman, having spent the whole World Cup and the first two games of this tour watching from the dressing rooms.

Bangladesh simply need to regain some pride after being assaulted with a deadly weapon - Shane Watson's bat. His unbeaten 185 featured 15 sixes and 15 fours, and broke all sorts of records, and the hosts must hope it hasn't done irreparable damage to the confidence of the Bangladesh bowlers. Suhrawadi Shuvo, the left-arm spinner, won't want to see Watson again after he was smashed for four consecutive sixes, and finished with 0 for 46 from three overs. Bangladesh might not win this third match, but even a competitive performance after being soundly beaten in the first two games would be an achievement.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLWW
Australia WWLLW

While Bangladesh have struggled to compete with Australia, Mushfiqur Rahim has quietly gone about his business and only Shane Watson has scored more runs in the series than his 125. Add to that the fact that Rahim has not yet been dismissed, and he is one Bangladesh player who can hold his head very high after the opening two games. If only he could get a little support.

His fellow wicketkeeper Brad Haddin hasn't enjoyed the same results this series. He made 10 in the first match and 8 in the second, and worryingly for Australia on both occasions he was out walking down the pitch. Perhaps he is losing concentration at the end of a long summer, but Haddin would certainly like to finish the series on a high, personally.

The time is right for James Pattinson to make his debut, and with the series decided it could be any number of men who sit out to allow the young Victorian to play. Perhaps Mitchell Johnson could be rested, or if the selectors want to attack Bangladesh with pace, Xavier Doherty may make way. Tim Paine could be given a chance as well, although whether he would keep wickets or be included as a specialist batsman remains to be seen.

Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Callum Ferguson, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Steve Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 John Hastings, 10 Brett Lee, 11 Xavier Doherty/James Pattinson.

It seems pointless for Bangladesh to take in the same XI after the thrashing on Monday, but who makes way is anyone's guess. Raqibul Hasan has offered little during this series, and Alok Kapali would be the logical swap for him, unless they want to blood the young uncapped batsman Shuvagoto Hom. Including Rubel Hossain didn't work on Monday, so Mashrafe Mortaza could be back in the mix.

Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Shahriar Nafees, 4 Alok Kapali/Shuvagoto Hom, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Suhrawadi Shuvo, 9 Shafiul Islam, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Mashrafe Mortaza.

Pitch and conditions

Both teams know the conditions well after playing two matches at the venue within three days. However, the third match is the only day-night contest in the series, which could make dew a factor as the evening goes on. The forecast for Wednesday is sunny with a top of 35C.

"It would be best if we don't think about this Watson innings and instead think about continuing our batting positives."
Shahriar Nafees wants Bangladesh to refocus