Big picture – Déjà vu for Malaysia at the Asian Games
Three years ago, in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Malaysia played a Full Member nation for the first time in a T20I. They qualified for the quarter-final, took on Bangladesh, and restricted them to 116 for 5. But at the end of a spirited chase, Malaysia lost by just two runs. In the three years since, Malaysia have not faced a Full Member team again.
Until Tuesday that is, when Malaysia will face Bangladesh in an Asian Games quarter-final once again. The sense of déjà vu might be short-lived, though, because the weather in Nisshin – where the tournament is being hosted – has been torrential. All four games since Saturday have been abandoned because of bad weather, including two quarter-finals.
Because of the seeding rules at the Asian Games, the higher-ranked side will qualify if the game is washed out: in this case, that team is obviously Bangladesh, who have sent a full-strength squad in their bid for a medal.
Malaysia played one game in the group stage, steamrolling Hong Kong with eight wickets and 48 deliveries to spare, before their game against Oman was abandoned and finalised their spot in the knockouts. On the other hand, Bangladesh arrive in Japan after being awarded a bye straight to the quarter-final. Their last T20I outing was in Zimbabwe in July, when they won a close series 2-1.
The Nisshin surfaces have hosted low-scoring contests so far, which means that in case Malaysia and Bangladesh do take the field, Malaysia’s bowlers – with their prior experience playing against Hong Kong – could make it a close contest again.
Malaysia WLLLW (last five completed games, most recent first)
Bangladesh WWLLL
In the spotlight: Tanzid Hasan and Virandeep Singh
Opener Tanzid Hasan went to Australia last month looking to prove he was more than a white-ball basher. He hit a match-winning century – his first in Test cricket – as Bangladesh sealed an iconic win in Darwin. Before that tour, his rich vein of form at the top of the order saw him score two consecutive ODI fifties against Zimbabwe, followed by two more fifties in the T20I series that followed in Harare. Now, Tanzid is back to playing his best format, T20Is.
Virandeep Singh is Malaysia’s premier allrounder: he is their highest run-scorer as well as wicket-taker in T20Is. He has taken 130 career wickets at an economy rate of 5.42. He plays for Malaysia along with his brother Pavandeep, who spun out Hong Kong with a three-for in the Asian Games. Then, Virandeep took over in the chase with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 32. He will want to continue his prolific returns against Bangladesh.
Malaysia’s dominance in their only Asian Games fixture that played out means it is likely they will stick with the same XI.
Malaysia (probable): 1 Muhammad Haziq Aiman, Syed Aziz (c), Virandeep Singh, Muhamad Syahadat, Muhammad Amir, Ainool Hafizs (wk), Muhammad Wafiq, Pavandeep Singh, Sharvin Muniandy, Muhammad Akram, Vijay Unni
Ahead of the Asian Games, captain Litton Das said they will be looking to give Yasir Ali more time to settle into the lower-middle order. Najmul Hossain Shanto was a part of the squad, but has been ruled out due to illness. Allrounder Mohammad Saifuddin was out of the squad because of a hamstring injury as well, so Bangladesh might hand 29-year-old mystery spinner Al Islam his T20I debut.
Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das (c), 3 Parvez Hossain Emon (wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy (c), 5 Yasir Ali, 6 Mosaddek Hossain 7 Rishad Hossain, 8 Al Islam, 9 Mahedi Hasan, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Hasan Mahmud
Pitch and conditions: Rain in the air in Nisshin
The Nisshin ground remains under covers with no cricket played for the past three days. The game is scheduled to be the second quarter-final of the day, starting at 2pm local time. However, rain is forecast till at least until 6pm local time, which means the game might be washed out, alongside a tantalising Nepal-Sri Lanka contest earlier in the day.
“I have played for the Bangladesh team for a long time, but it is my first time playing in the Asian Games. We are always targeting trophies but this time the big dream is to win the gold medal. All the players are really excited about it. As a player I will also have my expectations. I can tell you that all the players are eager about this tournament.”
Bangladesh captain Litton Das on his first appearance at the Asian Games
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