Pitch report: We are looking at the seven games that have been played at this venue throughout the tournament. Five of them have been won while chasing. The two that were won batting first came from Pakistan; against the UAE and Oman. I think chasing has been the preferred option. That’s why Bangladesh have gone that way. But we do have a fresh surface. It’s got better and better as the tournament’s progressed, mainly because of that grass you mentioned on the surface. Otherwise, we’ve seen tracks in Dubai slow right down with spinners dominating. But this one’s held up nicely. And with the conditions being a little cooler, I think that might also play a role. The reason the fast bowlers have matched the spinners is because they’ve got some swing early on. So you have taken wickets with the new ball, wickets in the powerplay. And as the game has progressed what they’ve done very well is take the pace off. Once the ball gets older and softer, it grips the surface. It’s not just about the spinners. Slower balls from the seamers are equally important. There’s enough grass there for those slower balls to have an effect later this evening. Good surface, not too hot, runs on the board might still be okay. - Simon Doull and Ravi Shastri.
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