Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, one-off Test: Decoding the player battles
Bangladesh will lock horns against Afghanistan in a one-off Test at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, starting on June 14. The hosts will seek redemption as they lost the last time they played a Test match against the Afghans. However, with some stars missing from both teams, it will be fascinating to see how the other players step up to the occasion. Here's more.
Rahmat Shah vs Taijul Islam
Rahmat Shah will be instrumental for Afghanistan in the middle. However, he will have to deal with Taijul Islam, who has been among wickets recently. In a single meeting, Taijul has not dismissed the Afghan batter. Rather, Rahmat has scored 28 runs against him. In six Test innings, Rahmat has been dismissed by left-arm spinners twice, while he scored 171 runs against such bowlers.
Hasmatullah Shahidi vs Ebadot Hossain
Ebadot Hossain has emerged as a top pacer for Bangladesh. He has scalped 32 wickets in 15 matches since 2020 and has been crucial for the hosts. His duel against Hasmatullah Shahid will be crucial. Shahidi has amassed the highest runs for Afghanistan in this format since 2020 (215). It includes a 200* against Zimbabwe. Right-arm pacers have dismissed him twice in six innings.
Mushfiqur Rahim vs Amir Hamza
Mushfiqur Rahim will be a prized wicket in this game. His duel against Amir Hamza will be exciting. They will be meeting for the first time. Rahim has slammed 1,076 runs against left-arm spinners in Test cricket. In 88 innings, the veteran was dismissed 26 times by such bowlers. Hamza is the second-highest wicket-taker for Afghanistan with 16 wickets from only three Test matches.
Litton Das vs Yamin Ahmadzai
Litton Das has been brilliant for Bangladesh in this format in recent times. Since 2020, he has scored 1,575 runs in 20 matches, the most runs by any Bangladeshi in this period. He will be up against Afghan pacer Yamin Ahmadzai, who has scalped 11 wickets in five matches. Litton has played one match against Afghanistan and he could only manage 42 runs.
Pitch report, timing and streaming details
The pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium will assist the spinners and remain low and slow. However, batters will also get runs once they get their eye in. 12 out of 25 Tests played here have been won by teams batting first. The hosts have won seven matches at this venue. Fans can live-stream the match on FanCode from 9:00am IST on June 14.
