BAN vs PAK Pitch Report: How will surface at Eden Gardens in Kolkata play in World Cup 2023 match?

Bangladesh and Pakistan — Image Source : GETTY IMAGES Bangladesh (left) and Pakistan (right)

The 1992 World Cup winners Pakistan will square off against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday, October 31 in the 31st match of the ongoing 50-over World Cup. Both teams are going through an extremely rough patch and would be desperate to win the contest and bring their campaign back on track.

Pakistan lost their previous fixture against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The game went right down to the wire and it was the Proteas who emerged victorious. Skipper Babar Azam was left exasperated after the loss as it was an opportunity that went begging and could have helped Pakistan in infusing life into their campaign.

Vice-captain and leg spinner Shadab Khan's bowling form is making the team management sweat badly as he hasn't performed anywhere close to what he potentially can. He suffered a concussion during fielding against the Proteas in Chennai but fortunately for the Pakistan team, his injury didn't seem too serious.

On the other hand, Bangladesh have also suffered a similar fate in the tournament as the majority of their players are struggling for form. Veteran batter Mahmudullah has been batting well for the Bangla Tigers but that hasn't worked to their advantage as he has been batting in the lower order and mostly batting with the tail.

Eden Gardens, Kolkata Pitch Report

Though not considered a high-scoring venue, the surface at the Eden Gardens favours batting more than any other craft. The ground usually offers a balanced contest between bat and ball as spinners come into the scheme of things once the wicket starts deteriorating. Pacers can also make an impact with the new ball because of the carry that the pitch provides. In the game between Netherlands and Bangladesh, pacers from both sides dictated terms to the batters.