Having lost their first two matches, West Indies and Bangladesh find themselves in a similar situation going into Friday’s Super 12 Group I clash at Sharjah.

It’s a must-win match for both teams; yet another loss means their T20 World Cup campaign will be all but over.

Both sides have themselves to blame though.

Bangladesh had things in control in their tournament opener versus Sri Lanka, till they started dropping relatively easy catches to eventually lose that game. And against England the other day, injudicious stroke-making from their batsmen hurt them badly.

“Obviously, we are on the back foot having lost our first two matches,” agreed wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan. “But if we beat the Windies, the entire team will be re-energised.”

Conditions at Sharjah should be of more help for Mahmudullah and his men as they bank largely on their spinners. The Windies, also suffering due to poor batting, are aware of it and don’t wish to get too carried away with the short boundaries.

“We’re not sure how the Sharjah wicket is going to play. Neither is our focus on the small boundaries. We want to execute our skills, and the results can take care of themselves,” Windies’ Nicholas Pooran said.

Today’s matches

Super 12, Group 1

⚫ West Indies vs Bangladesh, Sharjah (3.30 pm IST)

Super 12, Group 2

⚫ Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Dubai (7.30 pm IST)