ASIA CUP 2025
Bangladesh face Afghanistan in a must-win encounter © AFP
In a tightly-contested group, every game carries immense weight, and the upcoming Bangladesh vs Afghanistan clash could prove pivotal to both teams’ Super 4s ambitions. Afghanistan enter the contest buoyed by a commanding win over Hong Kong in their opener, while Bangladesh, despite beating the same opposition, slipped up against Sri Lanka – making this fixture a potential make-or-break encounter for them.
Bangladesh’s top-order remains a concern, with openers Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan Tamim under mounting pressure. They managed only 19 and 14 respectively against Hong Kong before falling for ducks against Sri Lanka. Skipper Litton Das has shouldered the burden of a misfiring top-order, and he’ll need greater support – and conviction – from the rest of the batting unit if Bangladesh are to put up or chase down competitive totals. The bowling attack has been steady so far, but they’ll be eager to raise their game and, crucially, have a few more runs to work with.
For Afghanistan, their only outing so far against Hong Kong offers a small sample size, but one they’ll be keen to build on as they push for a Super 4s spot. They piled up 188, with half-centuries from Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai, before restricting the opposition for 94 through a collective bowling effort – a game where everything clicked for them. A repeat performance is exactly what they’ll be hoping for and also emulate their 2022 Asia Cup effort when they beat Bangladesh to progress to the Super 4s. Meanwhile, the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Gulbadin Naib will be looking to get amongst the runs, having failed in the previous game.
When: Tuesday, September 16 at 6:30 PM Local Time (8:00 PM IST)
Where: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
What to expect: After Afghanistan set a strong total in the opening game here, the next two first-innings efforts proved middling, with chasing sides coming out on top. The UAE-Oman clash, however, bucked the trend as the hosts crossed 170. A 180-plus score is likely to be the benchmark for the team batting first in Abu Dhabi.
Teams watch:
Bangladesh: Taskin Ahmed was left out for Shoriful Islam for the previous game and the former is likely to get back in for this match. Towhid Hridoy is likely to be replaced by Saif Hassan or Nurul Hasan while Nasum Ahmed could come in for Rishad Hossain.
Injuries/unavailability: Bangladesh don’t have any injury concerns to report at the moment.
Tactics & matchups: Taskin is a good match-up option against Gurbaz, having dismissed him twice in three matches while Mustafizur Rahman has a good record against Omarzai, with three dismissals in four innings.
Probable XI: Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Litton Das (c & wk), Saif Hassan/Nurul Hasan, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan’s team are likely to field the same eleven that won them the opening game.
Injuries/unavailability: Naveen Ul Haq, who missed the opening game, has been ruled out of the remainder of the competition due to a shoulder injury. He has been replaced by Abdullah Ahmadzai who was previously in the reserves.
Tactics & matchups: Omarzai has had success against Litton, having bagged his wicket twice in four innings. Meanwhile, the majority of the Bangladesh batters in the current squad have struggled against wrist spin, bringing Rashid and Noor Ahmad into play.
Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Did you know?
– Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who finished as the leading run-getter in 2024 T20 World Cup, has struggled since then, 2024 having scored 132 runs in nine innings at an average of 14.66 and a strike rate of 106.45, with a highest of 40.
– Rishad Hossain, the joint highest wicket-taker among spinners in the T20 World Cup, has also not had a great time since then. He has picked up only 21 wickets in 20 T20Is, at an average of 27.80 with an economy of 9.07.
– In the T20Is post T20 World Cup 2024, Afghanistan have, by some distance, the lowest average (18.31), run rate (6.44), boundary percentage (12.34) and the second worst balls per dismissal (17) in the powerplay among full-member sides.
© Cricbuzz
