13:00 Local Time, 08:00 GMT, 13:30 IST: Group B has seen India and New Zealand race far ahead to leave today’s contenders, Pakistan and Bangladesh, in the dust and fighting for scraps. Both teams have had very little to write home about and as their hopes of progressing further in the competition have long withered away, they’re left to go up against each other knowing that a scrutinizing dissection awaits them. That is, of course, if the rain doesn’t interfere. The last game here, between Australia and South Africa just a couple of days ago, was washed out without a toss and while today’s forecast doesn’t quite look as bleak, the rain might just symbolise the dingy exits the two teams are headed towards.

Preview

At this stage of multi-team competitions, things usually get intense - points table scenarios shift, teams jostle for position, and some even find themselves rooting for rivals to keep their hopes alive. The battle for qualification reaches its peak.

But not today.

This is the penultimate Group A match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and there's nothing on the line. A dead rubber between two underwhelming sides, both beaten by New Zealand and India, with no path forward. It's tournament hosts Pakistan against fellow Asians Bangladesh, playing for pride, not progression.

Both teams were under par with their batting and did not have much on the scoreboard to put pressure on the oppositions. And while Bangladesh did at least try to make a fight out of it with some spirited bowling, Pakistan were downright mediocre across all facets of their game.

In an era where even 350-plus totals aren't safe in the 50-over format, Pakistan and Bangladesh have regressed. While the pitches may have had a role to play to an extent, their batting struggles were evident. Bangladesh managed only 228 and 240, both times batting first, while Pakistan posted 260 in a chase of 321 and 241 when setting a target. These underwhelming totals exposed their shortcomings and ultimately left them far behind in the race to the semifinals.

So, what does this game offer for the teams? Not much in terms of stakes, but perhaps a chance to give their disappointed fans something to cheer for - and to finally play with freedom, unburdened by the inhibitions and fears that plagued their past performances.

When: Thursday, February 27 at 2:00 PM Local Time

Where: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

What to expect: The Australia vs South Africa match at this venue was abandoned without a toss due to persistent rain on Tuesday. With a similar forecast for Thursday, Pakistan and Bangladesh might see their disappointing campaigns end with a soggy farewell.

Team news:

Pakistan: Kamran Ghulam, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Hasnain and Usman Khan have not got a game yet in this Champions Trophy. Pakistan might look at including a few of them or all of them, with nothing riding on this match.

Probable XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

Bangladesh: This is likely to be the final ODI in an ICC event for two Bangladesh legends - Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah - with the team likely to transition to the younger players in the near future, building up to the next one-day ICC event. Bangladesh are likely to stick to the same eleven that took the field against New Zealand.

Probable XI: Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mustafizur Rahman

Did you know?

- This will the first time that Pakistan and Bangladesh play each other in a Champions Trophy match

- Most dot balls in this CT -- 181 (BAN v NZ), 162 (PAK v NZ), 160 (BAN v IND), 156 (AFG v SA), 152 (PAK v IND)

- In overs 1 to 10 since January 2013, Pakistan's scoring rate of 4.84 is the second lowest after Afghanistan (4.5) among current CT teams

What they said:

I said a lot of times that we need to improve a lot as a batting unit, but we did same mistakes over and over. We have to really, really focus on how we want to improve our batting. I hope after this tournament we will make some changes as a batting unit and think in a different way and then try to improve our batting - Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh captain.

Squads:

Bangladesh Squad: Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar

Pakistan Squad: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Khan, Faheem Ashraf