2022 Asia Cup, Bangladesh vs Afghanistan: Preview, stats, and more
Bangladesh and Afghanistan will lock horns in the third match of the 2022 Asia Cup at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Afghanistan are coming off a one-sided win against Sri Lanka in the tournament opener. They would want to continue their winning streak. Meanwhile, Shakib Al Hasan returns to lead Bangladesh in the shortest format. Here is the match preview.
Pitch report, timing, and TV listing
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Dubai will host the affair. The wicket usually offers plenty of assistance to both batters. Sharjah has seen several high-scoring encounters due to shorter boundaries. The average first-innings score on this ground is 150 (T20s). The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (7:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Hotstar app (paid subscription).
Afghanistan lead Bangladesh 5-3 in T20Is
At the Asia Cup, Afghanistan lead Bangladesh 2-1 in ODIs, while the two teams are yet to play the T20I format. Bangladesh won their only Asia Cup match against Afghanistan in 2018. In overall T20Is, Afghanistan own a 5-3 lead over Bangladesh.
Afghanistan will likely play the same side
Afghanistan chased 106 after bowling out Bangladesh. Afghan bowlers were on the money, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz slammed a match-winning 40 in the run-chase. Skipper Mohammad Nabi is expected to play the same side. Probable XI: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Shakib to lead Bangladesh
Earlier this month, veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was appointed Bangladesh's T20I captain until the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. The squad also witnesses the return of Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, and Ebadot Hossain. Meanwhile, injured Litton Das would miss the tournament. Probable XI: Sabbir, Mohammad Naib, Mushfiqur (wicket-keeper), Shakib (captain), Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain.
Mahmudullah set to play his 120th T20I
Mahmudullah is Bangladesh's leading run-scorer in T20I cricket, having slammed 2,070 runs from 119 T20Is. He would become just the fourth cricketer to feature in 120 T20Is. Meanwhile, Shakib would play his 100th T20 International. He has the second-most T20I runs for Bangladesh (2,010). Mushfiqur is five shy of the 1,500-run mark in T20Is. Besides, Rashid has third-most wickets in the format (112).
