Pakistan and Bangladesh look - or hope - to sign off on a positive note

Rawalpindi, February 27:

Big picture: Pakistan and Bangladesh hope rain stays away

It has not been a tournament to remember for either Pakistan or Bangladesh, and the team talks ahead of their last game, against each other in Rawalpindi, are likely to be similar: play for pride, etc. With some chatter about the poor weather - if it continues, as the forecast says, the long faces in the two dressing rooms will get longer.

Pakistan's numbers in the Champions Trophy matches against New Zealand and India don't make for pretty reading. Their top-order batters haven't pulled their collective weight. With Fakhar Zaman out injured, Imam-ul-Haq came in and didn't do much. Saud Shakeel and Babar Azam have both hit a half-century each, but not been able to have any major impact. Mohammad Rizwan hasn't looked in any sort of form despite scoring a century in the tri-series at home before the Champions Trophy. Pakistan could bring in Kamran Ghulam just to freshen things up, but who do they drop?

After the top four, it's no better. Khushdil Shah, Salman Agha and Tayyab Tahir seem to be playing similar roles, which has led to stagnation in the middle. Faheem Ashraf, potentially, could have balanced the side a bit, but hasn't been given a go. And the quick bowlers have struggled to control the flow. India took apart Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. Naseem Shah has been better, but has looked below his best. Abrar Ahmed has bowled one great delivery that was overshadowed by his celebration.

Bangladesh haven't been too different, bar their quick bowling. Their batting has been one-dimensional, and not been able to go through the gears, with the lower order having to bail them out. Their top order caved in against India, while Michael Bracewell's offspin got rid of their middle order in the other game. Najmul Hossain Shanto showed form against New Zealand, while Jaker Ali has been consistent - they might have to do even more against Pakistan. As is the case with Towhid Hridoy, who scored an impressive century against India.

But they will want veterans Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah to sign off from what could be their last ICC game with a bang and not a whimper. Their lack of fire has been disappointing to see, though, in Mahmudullah's case, it's just been one match and one failure.

Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana have to do the heavy lifting again on Thursday, with Mustafizur Rahman continuing to be steady without being spectacular. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Rishad Hossain, the lead spinners, have a lot to do, too, especially in Rawalpindi where they should have a more central role.

But the two teams will also be looking beyond this game. They have to set their priorities right in the domestic circuit and then look for improvement in their international teams. They will both have to go back to the drawing board ahead of the next ICC tournament, and figure out how they can make a better fist of it, especially with a transition of sorts possibly around the corner.

Form guide

Pakistan LLLWL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLL

In the spotlight: Abrar Ahmed and Jaker Ali

His send-off after the wonder ball to Shubman Gill has attracted all the attention, but Abrar Ahmed has been one of the few success stories for Pakistan in the last couple of weeks. He's posed a wicket-taking threat. He's been economical as well. But Bangladesh handled him well last year in the Rawalpindi Test so it will be interesting to see what happens on Thursday.

Jaker Ali has been a revelation for Bangladesh in the lower-middle order in the last few months. It has been just seven ODIs, but he averages 50-plus with two fifties. He is a strong hitter in the death overs, often finding the boundaries, but wouldn't mind having another specialist batter at the other end for at least a part of the time. Jaker can also offer his wicketkeeping if Bangladesh look to tinker with their XI and leave out Mushfiqur.

Team news: Will the teams ring in the changes?

Could Pakistan leave out one of their star quick bowlers to give Mohammad Hasnain or Faheem Ashraf a chance? They also have batting options in Usman Khan and Kamran Ghulam.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq/Usman Khan, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Saud Shakeel, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), 5 Salman Agha, 6 Tayyab Tahir, 7 Khushdil Shah, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi/Mohammad Hasnain, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed

Bangladesh are likely to field the same line-up that played against New Zealand.

Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 3 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 4 Tohwid Hridoy, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Jaker Ali, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Nahid Rana

Pitch and conditions: An eye on the weather

Pakistan will hope that their farewell from their own Champions Trophy is not rained out. There is rain in the forecast. The previous match at the venue, between South Africa and Australia, was abandoned because of rain too. The pitch would have been under cover for a lot of the last three days by the time the game starts, and there's always the chance of extra moisture around the square.

Stats and trivia: Bangladesh's pacers slightly better

This is the first Pakistan vs Bangladesh contest in Champions Trophy history
Pakistan beat Bangladesh in their only previous ODI in Rawalpindi in 2003
Pakistan have a 12-0 overall home record against Bangladesh in ODIs
The fast bowlers across the two teams have taken 11 wickets, but Bangladesh's group has a bowling average of 44.83 and have conceded runs at 5.12 per over, while Pakistan's have an average of 63.50 and an economy rate of 7.18.