Bangladesh face Afghanistan today in do-or-die clash

Before the Asia Cup began, back-to-back series wins had raised supporters’ hopes for the youthful Bangladesh side. Tigers raised the hope with a dominant win against Hong Kong in their opening match. But all that optimism came crashing down with a humiliating defeat to Sri Lanka in the second game, forcing Bangladesh back to reality.

Now, the reality is simple: to reach the Super Four, Bangladesh must solve a tough equation — and that starts today. On Monday (September 16), Bangladesh face Afghanistan in a probable knockout fixture.

The match will begin at 8:30 pm (local time) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Victory will keep alive Bangladesh’s dream of reaching the Super Four. Defeat will mean elimination from the tournament.

Tough equation ahead
Bangladesh’s recent record against Afghanistan is far from encouraging. To add to their woes, the venue conditions are quite similar to Afghanistan’s ‘home’ environment.

Earlier, on Sunday, Hong Kong nearly pulled off a shock win against Sri Lanka, which would have made Bangladesh’s path easier, but Sri Lanka narrowly survived.

This means today’s game is not only about beating Afghanistan; Bangladesh will also have to wait on the result of Sri Lanka-Afghanistan match. Sri Lanka already have four points from two wins. If they beat Afghanistan, they will top the group with six points, in which case Bangladesh only need any sort of win today to qualify. However, if Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka in the last match of the group, all three teams will finish on four points, and net run rate will come into play then. In that scenario, both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are ahead of Bangladesh, meaning the Tigers will need a big win today to stand a chance.

Possible changes in the squad
At least three changes are expected in Bangladesh’s playing eleven for the crucial clash. Middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy has been out of form for some time, and could be replaced by Saif Hassan, who impressed during the Netherlands series. Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain failed to deliver in the last two games, and Nasum Ahmed may come in as a like-for-like replacement. Pacer Shoriful Islam, who was dropped in the opening game but recalled against Sri Lanka, failed to make an impact. Taskin Ahmed is likely to return in his place. As Bangladesh has deep concerns in the batting department; Saif Hassan, who can also bowl spin, might even replace Rishad, with Sheikh Mahedi possibly moving lower down the order.

Probable XI: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Liton Das, Saif Hassan, Shamim Patwary, Jaker Ali Anik, Sheikh Mahedi, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.

Bowling coach confident
Despite the situation, Bangladesh spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed remains optimistic. “Bangladesh have won three consecutive series. We know the conditions and situations well. If we can put 160–170 on the board, our bowlers have the ability to defend it,” he said. He identified Rashid Khan and Afghanistan’s spinners as the key challenge: “Their spin department is the biggest challenge, especially in the middle overs. If we can handle that and post a decent total, we can put them under pressure. Our bowling is also very strong, but the middle overs are the main concern.”

Mushtaq added that Bangladesh have the ability to challenge any team: “In ICC and ACC events, we need to keep improving. That is our focus. I believe Bangladesh have the capability to challenge anyone — in batting as well as bowling. If they play freely, they can compete against any side.”