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KOLKATA. — Bangladesh will look to compound the misery of beleaguered Pakistan today in their opening group match of the World Twenty20 cricket, fresh from humbling their arch-rivals in the Asia Cup.

Despite their recent improvements in 50-over cricket, Bangladesh have a rotten record in the World T20 and have never beaten Pakistan in the premier tournament of cricket’s shortest format.

But they will fancy their chances like never before at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens against a team who are on a miserable run and whose preparations have been hit by their late arrival in India in a row over security. Bangaladesh cruised through last week’s preliminary round and know that a victory over Pakistan will set them up nicely if they are to make the semi-finals for the first time.

Star batsman Tamim Iqbal is in the form of his life, scoring Bangladesh’s first ever international T20 century in Sunday’s victory over Oman after scores of 83 and 47 in the first two games.

Fans in the cricket-mad nation held impromptu street parties earlier this month when Bangladesh clinched a five-wicket win over Pakistan in Dhaka, sealing a place in the final of the Asia Cup which they lost to India.

Teams

Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Abu Hider, Al-Amin Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Anwar Ali, Imad Wasim, Khalid Latif, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Sami, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, Sharjeel Khan, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz. — AFP.