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Three games gone, 3-0 to Pakistan . Will it be 5-0?

I have said consistently that I am not expecting a 5-0 whitewash, I have said I expect Bangladesh to win at least one game.

Is my expectance a sign of my stubbornness?

Is it a refusal to accept that I might be wrong?

Is it blind faith in no hopers?

It's none of the above. Yes Bangladesh lost the first game emphatically. But they improved markedly in the second game and, but for a couple of dropped catches early in Pakistan 's reply, they could have come close.

They improved even more for the last game. Chasing a massive 309, they looked on course at 113- 1 off 19 overs. The turning point was two needless run outs of Tamim and Ashraful.

Even with these setbacks, Bangladesh remained in the game till the end and posted 285 in reply.

So it looks like Bangladesh are, slowly but surely, getting there.

As I said in the preview for the last game, the missing ingredient from Bangladesh recently has been the inability of their top order to click as a unit. They have shown glimpses of brilliance individually, but failed to string together big partnerships.

That all changed in the last game. Great innings from Tamim, Aftab and Shakib gave Bangladesh a great start. Of the other batsmen, all apart from Nafees got into double figures and it was these consistent partnerships that got them close.

This extended run in the middle for most of them will hold them in good stead for the remaining two games.

So the big question remain, can they go all the way and win? And what going to different in these last two games that will make that win more likely?

Answer, yes they can go all the way, and what different is not only the improved batting performance from Bangladesh with each passing game, but also the fact that these two games will be dead rubbers.

The intensity levels of Pakistan will almost certainly drop with the series in the bag. The determination of Bangladesh to avoid an embarrassing whitewash should see them as the more motivated side.

Pakistan are expected to stick with the same team as last game, though there is a possibility that their best bowler, Asif, could return. Asif is very good, however he is returning from injury and will take a game or two to get back into rhythm.

Bangladesh will probably dispense with the services of Nafees, and bring back the exciting, positive Junaid Siddique to open with Tamim Iqbal.

The pitch at Multan for the 4 th game, whilst not quite a road that was Lahore , will still be flat and batter friendly so another high scoring game could be in store.

The last game of the series will be in Karachi On Saturday, as will be the Twenty20 game on Sunday. Its proximity with the sea makes swing a factor there and I would expect lower scoring affairs in those games..

Rain has been around for the last 2 games and once again is forecast for the 4 th game. This could bring Duckworth Lewis into the equation.

The series concludes with that Twenty 20 game on Sunday.

Bangladesh beat West Indies in this format in the recent World Twenty20, knocking them out in the process.

I believe in this shorter format of the game, Bangladesh can be a match for any team, and we saw with Zimbabwe beating Australia in that same tournament that it's a good leveller.

I feel Bangladesh are getting there, I remain convinced they will avoid that whitewash in the ODI series, and will  also be great value in the Twenty20 game, therefore my strong suggestion remains:

LAY Pakistan in BOTH of the remaining one-dayers and also in Sundays Twenty20 game for 1 Point liability each time.

Bigjoe

(Ground info supplied by Cricinfo)