MATCH CENTRE | STANDINGS

The race at the top of Group 1 is heated. England are unbeaten in four games, sitting pretty at the top of the table. South Africa, with three wins in four matches, are second with a healthy net run rate. Australia, who have a match in hand over the top two, have two wins from three matches, and stand to draw even with South Africa if they win against Bangladesh.

However, having a lower net run rate has hurt them, and they go into their final two games knowing that even if they win both matches, they may still be out of the running for a place in the semi-final if other results go against them.

But first they have to win, and presenting the first hurdle for that are Bangladesh.

The teams have met each other nine times in T20Is, with Australia holding a slight edge with five wins. Five of those games came in August, when Bangladesh won the bilateral series at home with a 4-1 margin.

But despite that recent history, given the different conditions in the UAE and the fact that Australia are now a full-strength side, Aaron Finch's men might fancy their chances.

"It's probably the first time a lot of us have played in those conditions like that in Bangladesh, and we definitely found that challenging," said Australia's Ashton Agar. "And to be fair, Bangladesh played those conditions incredibly well, and we weren't surprised that they played well at home, but it is very different now. We have a very different looking side, and the wickets certainly aren't playing like those pitches that we played on over there."

In this T20 World Cup, Bangladesh have struggled. Winless in the Super 12 stage, they have also been hit by injuries to top stars. Their batting, especially through the Powerplay, has been a constant concern. This will be their final match of the tournament, and while they will be keen to go out with a win, it won't be easy.

Australia are keen to put the disappointing loss to England behind them and are expecting to be tested by the Bangladesh spinners under the afternoon sunshine. However, that also brings their own spinners, Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar and Glenn Maxwell into play.

After a few low-scoring evening games in Dubai, both teams would be heartened by the high-scoring afternoon affair between New Zealand and Scotland at the same ground yesterday.

Fixture details

• The match: Australia v Bangladesh, Match 34
• Time: 02:00pm, 4 November 2021
• Venue: Dubai International Stadium

Australiahave been shifting between the batting strengths of Mitchell Marsh and the bowling capabilities of Ashton Agar for the matches, depending on the track and the opposition. They might stick with Agar for this game, if the track favours spin.

Probable XI: David Warner, Aaron Finch (capt), Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Bangladeshwere without Mustafizur Rahman for their game against South Africa, and while eliminated from the semi-finals race, may play the left-armer with T20I rankings repercussions for next year's tournament. A shift in the batting order is unlikely.

Probable XI: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (capt), Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman/Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam

**Aaron Finch:**The Australian captain is strong against off-spin, and is well-placed to take on the Bangladesh bowlers in the Powerplay. He has been in good touch so far in the tournament. Although he began with a duck against South Africa, he has since made good starts with 37 off 23 against Sri Lanka and top-scored against England even as wickets tumbled around him.

**Taskin Ahmed:**The Bangladesh pacer has not been a regular in the playing XI, but has pitched in when presented with the opportunity. In the last game against South Africa, he got good movement to trouble the batters. While the conditions against Australia may not be pace friendly, if Mustafizur misses out again, he might have a bigger role to play.

If Australia win, they will remain third on the Group B table. If Bangladesh win, they can rise from the bottom of the table.

Rangana Herath, Bangladesh coaching staff:"We haven't had a good outing so far in this World Cup, but this is part of the game. We need to look at is how we can improve and how we can do well as a team, and as individuals ... We have another game to go. I'm sure that the guys will do their best because we need to get ready for the next tours against Pakistan and New Zealand as well. We need to get that winning combination and the confidence and we need to think about the way forward for Bangladesh cricket."

Ashton Agar, Australia player:"The day games to an extent takes the toss out of the equation, which is actually really good. I think that actually suits us really well. For the spinners, maybe it will help. Maybe we will get a little bit more grip or a little bit more hold or stop in the wicket, whatever you want to call it. [Adam Zampa] and I feel like we can exploit those conditions pretty well given the opportunity. We'll just see what happens."