Afghanistan's middle order in focus as Bangladesh enter knockout territory
Written by I Dig Sports
Big picture: Knockout game for Bangladesh
One team gears up for its opening fixture. The other already finds itself in must-win territory. The Asia Cup began just four days ago and is a short tournament with just six teams participating, which has left Bangladesh staring at the prospect of elimination while Afghanistan are just about getting started.
The action now moves to Lahore, relatively unknown terrain for both sides. Bangladesh last played an ODI at the Gaddafi Stadium back in 2008, with Mushfiqur Rahim being the sole player from that squad who will turn out on Sunday. For Afghanistan, it will be their first-ever international game in Pakistan.
Form guide
Afghanistan LLLLW (last five ODIs, most recent first)
Bangladesh LWLLW
In the spotlight: Ibrahim Zadran and Shakib Al Hasan
Ibrahim Zadran has had a stellar start to his ODI career. In just 17 innings, he has scored three half-centuries and four centuries, all of which have come since June 2022. With 827 runs in 16 ODIs at 59.07, Ibrahim is the highest run-getter for Afghanistan since the start of 2022.
The spotlight is often on Shakib Al Hasan during a Bangladesh game but there will be especially high expectations from him on Sunday. He's been consistently effective with the ball, but Bangladesh will need Shakib the batter to come good. While he does not have a great record against Afghanistan, he has enough experience playing their bowlers in internationals as well as in franchise cricket, and will need to bring all of that out into play to guide a young unit.
Team news: Will Bangladesh stick with the same XI?
Mustafizur Rahman came into the competition struggling with a knee niggle and bowled just three overs against Sri Lanka. There is a chance that Bangladesh might want to rest him and play the fast bowler Hasan Mahmud. They might also look to bring in Anamul Haque in place of one of the two inexperienced openers.
Bangladesh XI (probable): 1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Tanzid Hasan/Anamul Haque, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Mahedi Hasan/Afif Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Mustafizur Rahman/Hasan Mahmud, 11 Shoriful Islam
Najibullah is likely to walk back into the XI after an injury layoff, while Afghanistan might also want to bring in Rahmat for his experience.
Afghanistan XI (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Riaz Hassan/Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Karim Janat, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Fazalhaq Farooqi, 11 Abdul Rahman
Pitch and conditions
Clear blue skies are expected in Lahore at the start of the encounter, with the temperature likely to be around the 25-degree mark as the evening kicks in. There is no forecast for rain. Batters have made merry at the Gaddafi Stadium in recent times. Scores of 300 were breached in three of the six innings when Australia visited for an ODI series last year. More recently, in April this year, New Zealand and Pakistan also played a number of high-scoring T20Is here.
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