By Mark Mitchener

606: DEBATE Discuss this game on 606

1603: That's it for Pakistan-Bangladesh - which ended up being quite exciting for a match which didn't have too much riding on it. I'm off for a sandwich - but I'll be back for the build-up to South Africa v India, the final Super Eights game which is almost a quarter-final - sort of. Thanks to the many hundreds of you who have e-mailed in with your "famous players" stories - sorry I haven't been able to use more, I'll try to use more of them in the SA-India game. Hope to see you then.

PAKISTAN WIN BY FOUR WICKETS

19th over - Pkn 141-6
Mortaza charges in and Nazir opens the face to nudge him through the vacant slip area for four. Eight needed from 11 balls. He then drops one into the leg-side for a single - seven needed off 10. Akmal nudges a single - six needed off nine. Nazir then gets up on one leg to pull Mortaza to midwicket. Just two needed from eight balls now. The next one goes straight to cover - no run. Two needed from seven. Nazir then chops the final ball of this penultimate over down to third man, they run the two they need and they've won by four wickets to top the group. They'll also stay here in Cape Town for the semi-finals.

"I was lucky enough to go to school with Richard Logan, currently a player for Northamptonshire. Saw him play cricket a number of times, he was one quick bowler"
Akmal Hussain from Wolverhampton

"Last season I no-balled Rashid Latif in a Lashings match for 'failing to notify change of mode of delivery' (left-arm round to right-arm over - yes, really!!). He had the good grace to shake my hand at the end of the over"
Chris Rawson in hte TMS inbox

18th over - Pkn 129-6
Akmal is off the mark with a single off the recalled Razzak while Nazir, now wearing just a cap on his head but presumably well-protected in other areas (considering where he was hit when he retired hurt), takes a well-placed single, before swinging and missing against one outside off-stump. Finally some decent running between the wickets as he dabs a quick single into the off-side. 12 needed from 12 balls.

17th over - Pkn 125-6
Mahmudullah drops one short and Nazir hoists one over midwicket for six like a home run over the left-field fence. He's joined by keeper Kamran Akmal. 16 needed off 18 balls.

16.4 overs - WICKET - Butt run out 20 - Pkn 119-6
Arlo and Boycs go off on one, reminiscing about Eddie Waring, Fred Trueman and other Yorkshire legends, while Butt finally shows some urgency against Mahmudullah but is only able to club a single to point. Reunited with his former opening partner Nazir, the pair are involved in a calamitous mix-up when Butt dawdles back towards his crease after being sent back, and is run out at the bowler's end. He doesn't even wait for the third umpire. Very careless from Pakistan.

"My club Leyland CC had Mark Greatbach, Gordon Greenidge and Malcolm Marshall as club pro in successive years (1992-94). Sir Richard Hadlee turned out for us once too. Local rivals Preston had Javed Miandad in their first XI. Sadly, I wasn't good enough to lace their spikes, let alone take the field with them"
David in the TMS inbox

16th over - Pkn 115-5
Imran Nazir, who retired hurt in the first over, is the "new" batsman and is finally off the mark 15 overs after his innings began. He's then nearly caught at third man as he slices one to the boundary, the diving Mahmudullah gets his hands to it but can't complete the catch. Some untidy fielding, compared to "It's A Knockout" by Arlo White on TMS, then allows Butt an undeserved three runs from the penultimate ball of the over. 26 needed off 24. Could be a closer finish than we expected when Afridi was in full cry.

15.2 overs - WICKET - Misbah-ul-Haq lbw b Mortaza 1 - Pkn 106-5
Mortaza's back for his third over. And Misbah's gone - leg before.

"Played street cricket with Asif Mujtaba in Karachi - one time Pakistan vice captain. Also learnt how to bowl googlies from Abdul Qadir - another great all time Pakistani spinner"
Jay Farooq in the TMS inbox

"I once missed a stumping chance of Jimmy Adams. He was on 50 odd at the time, his side (Haydock) were 150-9 chasing 260. I asked him if he was now going to get 160 not out & make me look like a right Geraint & he said 'No man'. He didn't lie, he only got 155 not out... Gutted"
Ben, Sefton Park CC, Liverpool, in the TMS inbox

15th over - Pkn 105-4
The new batsman is the heroic Misbah-ul-Haq, who's already impressed me in this tournament with some decisive innings. He's off the mark, and Butt adds another single. 36 needed off 30 balls. Are there more twists and turns to come?

14.3 overs - WICKET - Malik c Aftab b Mahmudullah 21 - Pkn 102-4
Malik is farming most of the strike now - just as well, considering Butt's tortoise-like progress. But Malik departs when he hoists Mahmudullah to the cow corner boundary where Aftab Ahmed takes the catch just inside the rope.

"About three years ago I had Herschelle Gibbs caught behind on his debut for Lashings, however he was given not out, only for him to admit that he nicked it at the end of the over but said he needed some time in the middle. What a show pony!"
Still Disgruntled Stuart from Guernsey in the TMS inbox

14th over - Pkn 100-3
Saqibul is bowling his overs straight through, and it's more singles from Malik'n'Butt. The skipper sweeps to fine leg for four, and then prods a single to bring the hundred up.

"Going back to 1973, I was in the Under-15 Colts team for Malden Wanderers. Our top bowler was Alec Stewart, who had just turned 13"
Tony from Mitcham in the TMS inbox

13th over - Pkn 92-3
Butt and Malik are still just operating in singles, as the clearly expectant crowd start a Mexican wave. Finally we have a boundary as Malik uses his feet well to clip Mahmudullah past long-on for four.

"Mark - after calling your colleague Sam an old web geek yesterday, I feel I may have been too hard on all him and his colleagues. As such, to redress the balance, may I thank you for the wonderful and continually witty commentary you provide us with. I am sure it is matched by your good looks and charm! Is that enough, or do I need to do more!?"
Gina, London in the TMS inbox

Considering Sam is (a) slightly younger and (b) certainly less of a geek than me, I'm sure there's a compliment in there somewhere, Gina...

12th over - Pkn 84-3
Malik comes down the crease looking to hit Saqibul over long-on, but completely mistimes his shot. Geoff Boycott on TMS now directs his wrath at Butt's running between the wickets as Pakistan continue to dawdle. Another quick over - and a good over for Bangladesh.

"A few weeks ago, I played a match with footballer Chris Sutton for West Norfolk. We were struggling at 30-6. He hit 109 not out off 60 balls to win us a trophy... amazing!"
George Holloway, London, in the TMS inbox"

11th over - Pkn 81-3
A change of bowling as Mahmudullah's off-spin replaces Razzak's slow left-arm. He sails through his over very quickly, and only five runs are taken. One of these comes when an overthrow after Ashraful's throw hits the stumps and ricochets away, while Mahmudullah also blots his copybook with a wide. 60 needed from 54 balls.

"My rather short sighted mate (serious milk bottle glasses) once clean bowled Liam Botham during the Alderney festival cricket match. We loved it, he hadn't pitched one on the wicket, Liam strides in swinging his bat like his Dad, Beefy stood on the boundary smiling proudly - TIMBER, first ball. No wonder he stuck to rugby after that"
Rob Lee in the TMS inbox

10th over - Pkn 76-3
You're stuck with me for a little longer, and Saqibul continues in the attack, getting some turn. Malik and Butt take two when Malik works Saqibul to deep midwicket. But just two more singles are taken - with Afridi gone, the atmosphere has gone a little flat. We're at the halfway stage.

"I once bowled one of the Australian Test opening batsmen out in the nets. Admittedly it was the women's Test opener. And I can't remember her name. And it might have been on the second bounce. So not a great story then"
Tom, Edinburgh, in the TMS inbox

9th over - Pkn 72-3
Still no sign of the injured Nazir [see 1st over] as captain Shoaib Malik strides to the crease. Butt is clearly in no hurry to finish the match, as just three runs are taken from the over. An e-mail from BBC director-general Mark Thompson arrives in my inbox (gulp). If I'm still in a job, I'll bring you the rest of this match.

"I went to the same school in Bristol as Chris Broad (a few years after I hasten to add), and I remember him returning for a game against the school when I was about 17. I swear he had more beer in his coffin than kit! When batting I don't think he ran between the sticks once, just stood there and demolished everything thrown at him"
Jon in Exeter - Trying to sneek in a cheeky comment between meetings! - in the TMS inbox

8.1 overs - WICKET - Younus st Rahim b Razzak 1 - Pkn 69-3
Razzak spears one down the leg side, Rahim whips off the bails, and is Younus out of his ground? The man from Del Monte (aka the third umpire), he say OUT!

8th over - Pkn 68-2
It's left-arm spin from both ends as Saqibul Hasan runs in, and bowls a tidy over which only yields a couple of singles from Butt and new batsman Younus (formerly known as Younis) Khan.

7th over - WICKET - Afridi c Rahim b Razzak 39 - Pkn 66-2
New batsman Salman Butt must be desperate for a big score after a string of slow starts as opener earlier in the tournament. After he manages a single, Afridi's 15-ball cameo is over as Rahim takes a smart catch behind the timbers.

6th over - Pkn 65-1
As they crossed on the catch, Afridi takes advantage of the last ball of fielding restrictions to lift one back to long-on which lands several rows back in the stand.

5.5 overs - WICKET - Hafeez c Tamim b Rasel 23 - Pkn 59-1
Rasel's torrid afternoon continues as Afridi continues to find the boundary rope at will, before whipping another decent ball to the unguarded square-leg boundary for four. But Hafeez's afternoon is over after he spoons one straight down long-off's throat.

"I've never seen a guy so keen to get down to the batting end, he backs up like an Olympic sprinter. He's probably a bit cranky now Yuvraj Singh has the record for the fastest half-century"
Ian Chappell on TMS

5th over - Pkn 48-0
Ashraful turns to spin as Abdur Razzak, one of the two remaining members of the Tigers' triumvirate of left-arm spinners from the World Cup, enters the attack. He's badly let down as Rasel tumbles and dives over the ball on the cover boundary, but is unable to prevent it passing under him for four to Hafeez. I play cricket with a guy called Alex Ince whose idea of a sliding boundary stop is a feet-first sliding tackle (which rarely stops the ball), but even he would have been embarrassed by that attempt by Rasel.

4th over - Pkn 41-0
Hafeez opens the face to send Rasel down to third man for four. A no-ball provokes another free hit - Hafeez is "caught" at long-off, but as it's a free hit, just takes a single. Then, Rasel bowls short of a length and Afridi finds his favourite cow-corner boundary again with a second-bounce four. Pakistan look in control here.

"Hello Mark. Get rid of Ian Chappell's sub-nasal hairy bogey and he is the doppelganger to the heir to the throne. Is there something we should be told?"
Algy of Amesbury in the TMS inbox

3rd over - Pkn 30-0
As Arlo White on TMS enters Henry Blofeld mode and notes a passing commuter train, Afridi jogs through for a leg bye, before Hafeez takes advantage of fine leg being up to leg-glance Mortaza for four. Afridi serves notice of his intentions by hoisting one over cow corner for six into a group of Pakistan fans. The next ball is bludgeoned along the ground for four in the same direction. Afridi's already on to 16.

"I believe I have everybody beaten on the 'famous player' stakes. I used to play for the now defunct Imperial CC in Bristol. When he was 17 Shane Warne was the overseas player for the club, and after he became famous he continued to come back for a week or two every summer & play for our first team. I was but a star-struck Under-15s player at the time & suffered the indignity of coming face to face with the great man only to ask my coach 'who's this then?' Needless to say Warney was not impressed"
Jordan, Bristol, in the TMS inbox

2nd over - Pkn 13-0
Left-arm seamer Syed Rasel takes the second over, and Hafeez carves him away to leg for two. A slightly better shot sees Hafeez pull Rasel through midwicket for four. Some smart fielding prevents any more runs, but it means Afridi's on strike for the next over.

"Has Gul convinced Boycs & Goochie that it was a "smart" move to hold him back [see 14th over]? Not only has he succeeded against Bangladesh but he has stifled Sri Lanka and the mighty Aussies. Something, England's blue-eyed boy Freddie and others have been unable to do"
Sakeb, Washington DC, in the TMS inbox

1st over - Pkn 7-0
Nazir is on his knees in plenty of pain by the dug-out as his replacement Mohammad Hafeez gets off the mark with a single. Afridi characteristically swipes his first ball into the air, where it falls safely for two into the covers. Afridi then spanks one straight back past Mortaza, who dives for cover to avoid decapitation as it shoots through for a four.

0.3 overs - RETIRED HURT - Nazir retired hurt 0 - Pkn 0-0
Geoff Boycott on TMS lays into England coach Peter Moores for "greasing up to his own players" (Boycott's words, not mine), while Mortaza runs in to Imran Nazir. The third ball hits him straight in the joy division, leaving him pole-axed on the crease. Boycs tries to suppress his chuckles, but it really looks painful, and would probably bring tears to anyone's eyes. Nazir can't continue. And I don't even have a "retired hurt" graphic!

"I once batted against The Dentist, John Maynard, in a tour game at Leigh-on-Sea about 10 years or so ago. I smashed him all over the park to third man for 35 of his 36 balls. The last ball he bowled was at my mate, who to this day still has the metal plate holding his lower forearm together!"
Tim Hales, at work in Halifax (although by my own admission not doing any. Reading this commentary instead) in the TMS inbox

1438: While the TMS inbox is flooded on our theme of "which famous players have you played with & against in club cricket?", Pakistan are ready to begin their reply. Regular opener Imran Nazir is joined by Shahid Afridi. Could be some fireworks here.

"I once bowled at a young (19 I think) Sachin Tendulkar in the nets as a Yorkshire schoolboy when he was signed as an overseas player. He let one go by and blocked a couple. I think he was scared. Of hitting me in the head with the ball!"
Chris Bradley in the TMS inbox

"I have had the joy of keeping wickets with Mushtaq Ahmed bowling (not that I could read his googlies) and on another occasion I picked Ata-ur-Rehman to practice my slogging¿ got bowled first ball!"
Umer Mian in the TMS inbox

"I played against Shahid Afridi once - he turned up half an hour late, promptly walked out to bat at number four, we put everyone on the boundary and he holed out for a five-ball knock of 12. He also called me a very dirty word when I hit him for four, shortly before he bowled me"
DG, Staffs, in the TMS inbox

"At school I played against Jeff Jones (Simon's dad), who went on to open the bowling for England. At 10 he was blindingly fast, though pretty erratic"
The Rowley Rocket, Hampshire, in the TMS inbox

"Wasn't Rashid Latif a wicket-keeper? Was he a last resort after Neill Aitken had smeared/marmalised Marchington's front line attack?"
Mick, Dublin in the TMS inbox

"How about Robin Smith of Hampshire and England? I've had the 'privilege' of both him and John Crawley smacking me for 6 in the same over (wince). This was a benefit match at Eversley CC. But the most famous player to play at Eversley was in another benefit match two years later... one Shane Warne!"
Tony Critchley in the TMS inbox

"Mark Gillespie the NZ bowler spent a season at Caldy CC a few seasons ago. The last game of the season, I got drafted in to field for the 1st team and spent the day under the lid at short-leg. Opening with a field of four slips, two gullies, leg-slip, short-leg & silly mid-off he proceeded to rip through the opposition taking about six for not many - the opener, having just avoided decapitation first ball, fended his second ball to gully and walked off muttering 'thank (expletive deleted) for that'"
Pete in the TMS inbox

"Played against Mike Watkinson in the Bolton League and with him for Lancs Schoolboys. Played with Farouk Engineer in Bolton League. Travelled to London with Kim Hughes and his Aussie team from Manchester. Had a few beers with Merv Hughes and Border's Aussie team when it rained at Edgbaston (that boy could drink)"
Peter in Preston in the TMS inbox

"Former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams played in the Derbyshire Prem in 2006, he edged behind to our spinner's quicker ball, thankfully I held on to the catch. Fair play to him as he walked. Devon Malcolm was in the same Dunstall side and now captains their second team despite being able to unleash hell if you've hit him for four!"
Daniel in the TMS inbox

BANGLADESH INNINGS

19.4 overs - WICKET - Rasel b Gul 1 - Ban 140 all out
Rahim gets Gul away for a single, but some superb "death" bowling by Gul keeps number 11 Rasel tied down, before he's yorked with the fourth delivery of the over. That's 140 all out, surely Pakistan can't lose this one?

"In my heydays as a club cricketer I actually had the honour of playing against, and beating, the Danish cricket team. Never repeated though, you only get one bite of the cherry!"
Matthew in the TMS inbox

19th over - Ban 139-9
Last man Syed Rasel carves out a single to get Rahim on strike. The keeper can only get a single off the last ball, so he'll face the last over from Gul. There's a sense here that Bangladesh have rather wasted the great start Siddique gave them by throwing away wickets.

18.2 overs - WICKET - Razzak run out 0 - Ban 137-9
New batsman Abdur Razzak pushes for a single, goes for a run, thinks better of it, stumbles to get back and is run out, without even waiting for the third ump to preside. A golden duck, and rather an embarrassing one.

18.1 overs - WICKET - Mortaza b Asif 11 - Ban 137-8
Mortaza strolls across his stumps and is clean bowled by the returning Mohammad Asif, earning him the scorn of Chappelli on TMS.

"I wonder if Pakistan find it difficult playing against Bangladesh, as it must be like playing against your brother, considering that Bangladesh used to be East Pakistan"
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell on TMS

18th over - Ban 137-7
Rahim can only take a single from the first part of Gul's third over, and Gul then hits Mortaza on the helmet (as he tries to duck) with a lifting delivery that trickles down to third man. In lieu of a "helmet bye", they are awarded a leg bye. A more orthodox approach sees Mortaza cover-drive a no-ball for two. The "free hit" ball is a low full-toss speared towards leg stump, and Mortaza works it away for a single to cover. A bouncer to Rahim (who isn't that tall anyway) completes the over.

"I used to play at youth level with Monty (during his left-arm over days). He was quite quiet when he was younger, a lot less of the jumping around when he took a wicket!"
Dave, London, in the TMS inbox

17th over - Ban 130-7
While Ian Chappell on TMS insists Bangladesh "shouldn't be playing Test cricket", Malik's off-spin takes the pace off the ball and restricts Bangladesh to ones and twos.

"Buwell 1st team has Nick Knight's brother, Grant Flower (when he is not playing for Essex) and Adam Huckle (bowled for Zimbabwe in the 1999 World Cup)"
Richard, Cambridge in the TMS inbox

16th over - Ban 124-7
The new batsman is diminuitive wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim, who takes a single to get the more experienced Mortaza on strike. After that flurry of wickets, just three runs are garnered from the over.

15.2 overs - WICKET - Mahmudullah run out 1 - Ban 122-7
Mahmudullah, who came in at the fall of Siddique's wicket, takes a single off his first ball. Mortaza pushes forward for a single, the ball hits non-striker Mahmudullah and falls kindly for bowler Gul, who easily runs him out at the striker's end.

15th over - Ban 121-6
Mashrafe Mortaza takes two off the final ball.

14.4 overs - WICKET - Chowdhury c Akmal b Malik 12 - Ban 119-6
Malik earns Geoff Boycott's wrath by sending down a no-ball ("A spinner? Come on!") and Chowdhury clubs the free hit to the midwicket boundary for four. But Malik then has his second wicket when he edges one behind.

14.1 overs - WICKET - Siddique c Misbah-ul-Haq b Malik 71 - Ban 112-5
Siddique's superb debut knock is finally over when captain Shoaib Malik introduces himself into the attack, and he hoists one to the midwicket boundary where Misbah takes the catch. 71 off 49 balls on your international debut - well played, Mr Siddique.

14th over - Ban 112-4
Umar Gul joins the attack, presumably to bowl the last four overs from one end. Boycs and Goochie on TMS don't think it's "smart" to do that. We shall see. Siddique gets a top edge but it falls safely, while Boycs expresses disbelief at Yorkshire's latest County Championship struggles, claiming he'd "never heard of" James Bruce, who took 5-73 against the Tykes. Back in Cape Town, it's a fairly tidy over from Gul which yields seven runs.

"Sachin Tendulkar and I have both been bowled by Michael Vaughan"
Ken in Sheffield (dreaming of what might have been) in the TMS inbox

13th over - Ban 105-4
While Geoff Boycott on TMS commends Shahid Afridi's extremely firm handshake, Siddique continues to work him away. Afridi beats Chowdhury's outside edge and Akmal whips off the bails, but Chowdhury's back foot is anchored in the crease. Just.

"I once smeared/marmalised Rashid Latif through midwicket for one of the most talked about (by me) boundaries of all time. He was playing for Marchington at the time. Soon after that he took on the poisoned chalice of the Pakistan Test team captaincy"
Neill Aitken in the TMS inbox

12th over - Ban 102-4
New batsman Nadif Chowdhury gets off the mark with a single before Siddique continues his confident hitting with a six over long-on, and another maximum which he swats over cow corner. Hafeez darts one in from over the wicket, Siddique guides one down to third man which Umar Gul just saves from reaching the boundary for four. They take three.

11.2 overs - WICKET - Saqibul c & b Hafeez 1 - Ban 86-4
Hafeez comes around the wicket to the left-handed Saqibul, tosses one up and completes possibly the easiest caught-and-bowled he'll ever take.

11th over - Ban 85-3
New batsman Saqibul Hasan takes a single, before Siddique sees off the over after those two quick wickets.

10.3 overs - WICKET - Ashraful lbw b Afridi 5 - Ban 84-3
Ashraful gets a slightly fortunate edge past point for two, but after taking another two, is trapped in front by Afridi off only his fourth ball.

10th over - Ban 80-2
New batsman Mohammad Ashraful takes a single to mid-off from his first ball as we reach the halfway stage.

9.5 overs - WICKET - Aftab st Akmal b Hafeez 15 - Ban 79-2
Siddique takes a single to reach his half-century off 35 balls. Aftab Ahmed tries a cheeky reverse sweep which brings him a leg-bye. Siddique is dominating the strike, but the Tigers won't mind at all. Aftab then comes down the track and is comfortably stumped.

9th over - Ban 74-1
A first-bounce four just inside the midwicket boundary from Siddique has Goochie purring with admiration again - will the lad get offered a contract by Essex before the day is out? Another lofted drive sees Umar Gul get one hand to it, running around at long-on, but he only succeeds in deflecting the ball down onto the rope for four.

8th over - Ban 62-1
Time for some off-spin from Mohammad Hafeez, but Siddique and Aftab continue to push the singles, without taking any risks. Hafeez rattles through his over, and six runs are taken.

"I saw Fred Trueman play, when he was about 58 or 59 years old. A truly awesome bowler even then, not just fast, and wonderful true line and length, but wonderfully tricky. And McGrath before his time - a truly awesome drinker in the bar afterwards by the way!"
Ajxd in the TMS inbox

7th over - Ban 56-1
Shahid Afridi enters the attack with his fast leg-breaks, and races to field a single off his own bowling, as if to prove to his team-mates that he, at least, is up for it. Aftab Ahmed is playing a good supporting role, nudging a single off most balls he receives, allowing Siddique to attack. He drives Afridi back over his head for two.

"Bangladesh are getting their game plan right - they're picking the right balls to hit"
Former England captain Graham Gooch on TMS

6th over - Ban 51-1
The Tigers take two, when they run a single, the ball hits the stumps at the bowler's end, bowler Tanvir makes no attempt to back the throw up and they run an overthrow. The TMS team, to put it mildly, are not convinced that Pakistan are really that bothered about this one. As if to prove their point, Siddique has another life when he hoists Tanvir to square leg, Imran Nazir runs in and he dives forward but fails to get a hand to it. Is Siddique a ringer? He's certainly not batting like someone who's never played an international - and as if to prove my point, he pulls Tanvir for six over midwicket. A wide brings up the Bangladesh 50. Some consolation for Pakistan is that the fielding restrictions are over.

5th over - Ban 38-1
Goochie on TMS is convinced that there's something wrong with Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif, who's not running in at his usual pace. Aftab continues to take a single off nearly every ball he's faced, while Siddique is working the ball around the park very nicely at the moment, picking up two more boundaries off consecutive balls. Asif responds with a bouncer, while Arlo White compares Asif's hangdog expression to Harry Enfield's Kevin the Teenager character. "You are SO unfair, I hate you!" etc.

"I am listening to the coverage of this game and dreaming of what might have been. Having not won the league for 107 years at our club Great Harwood CC, I wonder what might have happened had Sohail Tanvir actually arrived as our professional for this past season!"
Stuart Maher, Great Harwood, in the TMS inbox

Great call, Stuart. OK, this one's open to the floor - who's the most famous player you've ever played with or against in club cricket?

4th over - Ban 27-1
Aftab dabs another single, and Siddique then advances down the pitch to flick Tanvir off his pads for two. The debutant, showing no sign of debut nerves, then steers his second boundary of the innings through the covers for four.

3rd over - Ban 17-1
New batsman is the right-handed Aftab Ahmed, who's off the mark with a single to pinch the strike.

2.5 overs - WICKET - Tamim run out (Mohammad Hafeez) 3 - Ban 16-1
Asif opens with another wide but then mixes his pace up with a lovely slower ball to Tamim. He pushes a single, and they dawdle slightly. Next ball, they try another single but their running is found wanting again, and a great throw by Mohammad Hafeez runs out Tamim with a direct hit at the striker's end. He doesn't even wait to see the third umpire's verdict before trudging off disconsolately.

"This should be a cake walk for Pakistan, but they have to be very careful not to slip on the proverbial banana skin. just keeping the food theme going"
Tahier in the TMS inbox (or should that be the TMS lunchbox)

2nd over: Ban 14-0
Left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir takes the second over and immediately sends down a legside wide. He then oversteps for a no-ball, and Tamim scampers a single to allow Siddique to face the "free hit". The free hit ball is... a beamer! Another free hit! But Siddique hits this one straight back to Tanvir. Arlo White on TMS thinks Tanvir's dark stubble makes him look like a baddie from a Western, and his marathon over eventually yields just the four runs - three of them extras.

1st over: Ban 10-0
Tamim Iqbal takes the first ball from Mohammad Asif, and works it away for a single. His partner is debutant Junaid Siddique. He gets off the mark by flicking one to fine leg for two, but he's then dropped by Misbah-ul-Haq at midwicket when he lifts one into the air. "A regulation catch at international level", says Graham Gooch on TMS. Siddique then finds the point boundary - a good first over.

1255: Here are the full teams. The TMS team reckon Bangladesh may mix their batting order up a bit.

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique , Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Nadif Chowdhury, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Abdur Razzak, Syed Rasel.

Pakistan: Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Misbah-ul-Haq, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif.

TOSS NEWS: Pakistan win the toss and will field first, as they think it will seam around early on. They're unchanged. Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful is confident that his batsmen can improve on their last two performances. Uncapped left-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner Junaid Siddique is added to the side, while opener Mohammed Nazimuddin has been dropped.

1236: In other cricket news today, Andrew Flintoff's ankle injury has ruled him out of England's forthcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka (which begs the obvious question, what on earth were they doing playing him in yesterday's game when they'd already been knocked out?). And Ottis Gibson will take time off from his role as Durham's heroic all-rounder (and Hampshire's nemesis) to stand in for Allan Donald, coaching England's bowlers in Sri Lanka.

1230: Morning/afternoon everyone, depending on where you are. We've had the opening game of the day - Australia beating Sri Lanka, to go through to the semi-finals at their expense.

On paper, the middle game today - Bangladesh v Pakistan - does not have a great deal riding on it, with Pakistan already qualified for the semi-finals along with Australia, while Bangladesh have already been eliminated from contention.

But Pakistan have the chance to make it three wins on the trot - while the Tigers of Bangladesh will hope for one last roar, having only beaten West Indies so far in the tournament. Neither have anything to lose.