ICC Men’s CWC 2023: Bangla tigers up for the fight against the Afghans

The third match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be played between Afghanistan and Bangladesh on October 7 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.

ODI performance of Afghanistan and Bangladesh in 2023

The two teams have had a contrasting performance in 2023. While Afghanistan played 11 ODIs and won three, Bangladesh played almost twice the number of matches than Afghanistan, winning eight out of 20. This year, the two teams met four times and both of them have dominated equally winning two apiece.

In the batting department, Ibrahim Zadran (498 runs) has been the leading run-getter for Afghanistan this year, scoring at an average of 48 and strike rate of 82. On the other side, the vice-captain of Bangladesh, Najmul Hossain Shanto has had a prolific year scoring 698 runs in 14 ODI innings at an average of 50 and strike rate of 87.

Among the bowlers, Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi, who made a name for himself in this year’s IPL playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, has bagged the most wickets for his country. The left arm fast bowler has 15 wickets in 11 ODIs. For Bangladesh, right arm fast bowler Taskin Ahmed has been the most successful bowler with 21 wickets in 10 outings, including one four wicket haul.

Afghanistan and Bangladesh at the World Cups

Afghanistan will play their third World Cup in 2023. In 2015 and 2019, they played 15 World Cup matches, of which they won just the one (success rate 7%). Bangladesh, on the other hand, have been around from 1999 at the World Cup stage, playing 40 matches and winning 14 (success rate 35%). Head-to-head, these two teams have met twice in World Cups, with Bangladesh emerging victorious on both instances.

Afghanistan and Bangladesh in warm-up matches before the start of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023

Both teams have had similar fate in warm-up matches, thanks to their wins overs Sri Lanka. Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets (DLS method) after their match against South Africa was abandoned due to rain. Bangladesh also registered one win as they handed a seven-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka. Their next game against England didn’t go their way as they lost by four wickets (DLS method).

Afghanistan v Bangladesh: Squads, playing conditions, weather, and players to watch out for

Squads

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Kumer Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

Playing conditions

Dharamshala will host the encounter between Afghanistan and Bangladesh at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium. It will be a day match and the two teams will play for the first time here. The venue has hosted four ODIs since 2013, out of which teams batting first have won one and teams batting second have won three. The highest total scored here is 330 and the lowest is 112. Expect a high scoring contest as the game will be played on a fresh pitch.

Weather

The weather is expected to be partly sunny and cooler. Expect a couple of afternoon showers. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 23 degrees Celsius. The cloud cover will be 14% and there is 60% chance of rain. The wind will blow from the west-southwest.

Players to watch out for

For Afghanistan, the right-handed opening batter Ibrahim Zadran will be expected to provide a solid start to the team with the bat. In his last 10 ODIs, the 21-year-old has scored 380 runs at an average of 42 and strike rate of 78. Among the bowlers, leg spinner Rashid Khan will be the key. He has a wealth of experience playing in the Indian conditions, thanks to the IPL, which he has been playing since 2017. He ranks number four in the world in ODIs, and has nine wickets in his last eight ODIs.

For Bangladesh, captain Shakib Al Hasan will have to make a lion’s contribution for his team to succeed. Both with bat and ball, he has been phenomenal over the years. The 36-year-old is the number one all-rounder in the world in ODIs. The left-handed batter has scored 549 runs in his last 15 ODI innings at an average of 39 and strike rate of 93. With the ball, the left arm spinner has claimed 14 wickets. Besides, Najmul Hosain Shanto will have a role to play with the bat. In his last five ODIs, he has smashed 281 runs at an average of 56 and strike rate of 85.

 

Match details

Date: October 7, 2023

Time: 10:30 AM IST

Venue: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala

Live streaming: Star Sports, Hotstar

 

 

All the statistics are sourced from ESPN Cricinfo