BAN vs AFG Match Preview
Shakib Al-Hasan will take over the reins of the team in the T20 series and will hope to bring some positive energy to the squad. He is the top-ranked all-rounder in the T20s according to the latest ICC rankings and his contribution will play an important role in determining the team’s performance.
Despite the absence of veterans Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim from the squad, the hosts have plenty of firepower in their batting line-up. Litton Das and Rony Talukdar are likely to open the innings, while Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, and Afif Hossain will feature in the middle order.
The pace attack is likely to feature Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot. Hossain, while all-rounders Shakib and Mehidy Hasan Miraz will take care of the spin.
Rashid Khan will lead the Afghanistan team, taking over from Hashmatullah Shahidi. He is unlikely to change the opening pair of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, both of whom were excellent in the ODIs. The other batsmen in the squad include Najibullah Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, and Hazaratullah Zazai.
All-rounder Karim Janat makes it to the T20 squad and will feature alongside Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Nijat Masood. The spin attack will be one of the biggest strengths for Afghanistan here as it has quality bowlers like Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmed playing for them.
The availability of Afghanistan's prime seamer, Fazalhaq Farooqi, isn’t confirmed yet but others including Wafadar Mohmand and Fareed Malik can fill in for him.
Weather Report
There is a forecast for rain throughout the day which can cause interruptions.
Pitch Report
The pitch at the Sylhet International Stadium is good to bat on. The average first-inning score here is around 160. There will be some movement for the quicker bowlers but the surface tends to get easier to bat once the match progresses. The spinners will find a few rough patches that they can exploit.
Notable stats
Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s all-round performance
Mehidy Hasan Miraz is slowly emerging as a reliable all-rounder for Bangladesh in white-ball cricket. He has scored 240 runs in his short T2) career and has also picked up 12 wickets.
Team News
There are no updates regarding injuries from either side.
BAN vs AFG Probable 11
BAN Playing 11
- Litton Das (Wk)
- Najmul Hossain Shanto
- Rony Talukdar
- Towhid Hridoy
- Shakib Al-Hasan (C)
- Taskin Ahmed
- Afif Hossain
- Ebadot Hossain
- Shoriful Islam
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz
- Mustafizur Rahman
AFG Playing 11
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wk)
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Najibullah Zadran
- Mohammad Nabi
- Rashid Khan (C)
- Karim Janat
- Noor Ahmad
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Fareed Ahmad
- Hazaratullah Zazai
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing Afghanistan to win here. They enjoy an excellent record against Bangladesh in recent T20 matches and the team’s performance in the ODIs should give a huge boost to their confidence.
Top Picks
Shakib Al-Hasan: Shakib Al-Hasan is the top-ranked all-rounder in T20s. He has scored 2345 runs in T20 internationals and has also picked up 136 wickets.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Known for his explosive style of batting, Gurbaz has scored 1019 runs in T20s at a strike rate of 134.25.
Mohammad Nabi: Nabi has scored 1755 runs in T20 internationals and has also picked up 87 wickets.
BAN vs AFG Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: R Gurbaz, L Das
Batters: N Hossain Shanto, I Zadran
All-rounders: S Al Hasan (C), M Nabi, M Hasan Miraz, K Janat
Bowlers: Rashid-Khan (VC), Mujee-ur-Rahman, T Ahmed
