BAN vs AFG: Bangladesh seek redemption in T20I series opener
The Afghanistan tour of Bangladesh is into its last leg as the two sides are gearing up to meet in a two-match T20I series. The visitors were excellent in the recently-concluded ODI series which they won by 2-1. The Tigers, however, claimed a massive seven-wicket win in the final match, which must boost their morale. Here is the preview of the first T20I.
Pitch report, timing and streaming details
The Sylhet International Cricket Stadium will host the first duel on Friday (July 14). The track here has challenged the batters with the average first-innings score being just 129. It drops to 102 in the second innings as teams batting first have won 28 of the 46 games here. The match will be live-streamed on the FanCode app and website (5:30pm IST).
A look at the head-to-head record
Afghanistan have dominated the Tigers as far as the head-to-head record in T20Is is concerned. The two sides have locked horns in nine concluded games so far out of which Afghanistan has won six. The remaining three games went in Bangladesh's favor. On Bangladesh soil, the head-to-head record stands 3-2 in Afghanistan's favor.
Afghanistan to start as favorites
Bangladesh will rely upon their big names like skipper Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, and Mustafizur Rahman. Youngsters like Rony Talukdar and Towhid Hridoy add firepower to the batting line-up. The spin trio of skipper Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi will enjoy operating in Sylhet. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai will have the onus to score runs.
Here are the probable playing XIs
Bangladesh Probable XI: Litton Das (wicket-keeper), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Rony Talukdar, (captain), Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman. Afghanistan Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
A look at the key performers
With 136 wickets at an economy of 6.8, Shakib is the highest wicket-taker in T20Is. He also owns 2,345 runs. Litton has scored 773 T20I runs at a strike rate of 145.30 since the start of 2022. Rashid has scalped 17 wickets in eight T20Is against Bangladesh at an economy of 5.53. Najibullah Zadran owns a strike rate of 140.45 in T20Is.
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Fantasy option 1: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Litton Das (VC), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Najibullah Zadran, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (C), Mustafizur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Fantasy option 1: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (C), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Hazratullah Zazai, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi (VC), Rashid Khan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, and Shoriful Islam.
