Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by a big margin of 92 runs in the first ODI played between the two teams. The game took place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, UAE, on Wednesday, November 6. Afghanistan put up an impressive total of 235 runs on the board and restricted their opponents to just 143 in 35 overs.
Afghanistan were batting first, but their top order failed to score any significant runs. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi was left to add some semblance to the total with a fighting 52 off 92 balls. Curiously, Shahidi’s knock contained two boundaries and came at a rather sluggish strike rate of 56.52.
Yet, he was helped by the veteran Mohammad Nabi lower down the order. Nabi upped the stakes by scoring a 79-ball 84 that contained three sixes and four boundaries. Taskin Ahmed and the wily Mustafizur Rahman starred with the ball for Bangladesh, returning with numbers of 4-53 and 4-58, respectively.
Bangladesh’s batters getting out in bunches did not help, and it was only due to captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 68-ball 47 that they reached 147. None of the other batters put up much of a fight, as Allah Ghazanfar picked up 6-26 and ran through the lineup. In the end, Afghanistan was the better side on display.
Afghanistan vs Bangladesh – 09.11.2024 Match Prediction
Bangladesh will play Afghanistan in the second ODI of the bilateral series at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates,. The match will take place on Saturday, 9 November. Afghanistan will want to take advantage of the fact that they know these conditions better than their opponents. However, the latter are blessed with many spinners and will not take it easily.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi mentioned before the series that his team would not take Bangladesh lightly. Surely, the same applies to Najmul Hossain Shanto’s side. The Bangla Tigers will want to give their youngsters a chance in this series, with Shanto trying to guide the transition.
The late arrival of Nahid Rana and Nasum Ahmed into the country because of visa issues created a doubt over their participation. Still, these are off-field issues that Bangladesh should be fine with. Afghanistan will back themselves to come good in this game, given that they have a lot of big hitters on their squad. Yet, Bangladesh possess players who can rotate the strike well and play big shots when necessary.
Predicted Squads
AFG: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Allah Ghazanfar, Nangeyalia Kharote, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
BAN: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
Key Players
Soumya Sarkar (BAN): Left-handed opening batter Soumya Sarkar, who can also chip in with the ball if needed, is the complete all-round package Bangladesh were dreaming of for years. Sarkar can hit the ball hard and rotate the strike when his team needs to, although he is naturally an aggressive player. Afghanistan must keep him quiet. He can also be given the ball to bowl an over or two if the team needs him.
Rashid Khan (AFG): All-rounder Rashid Khan, who is respected across the world for his grit and work ethic, will try his best to oust the Bangladeshi batters for as low a total as possible. He must restrict his opponents from any space to free their arms and keep them inside the crease, from where they cannot play too many shots. Rashid’s goggles and flippers are dangerous for the distraction they cause to the opposition.
Match Prediction
Bangladesh are likely to win in the second ODI of this series. They are an excellent side with many top cricketers. Their batters can be very crafty with their shotmaking and rotation of strike. Their spinners will want to make good use of the surface here in Sharjah. Since the ground is a bit smaller, Afghanistan may have an advantage as they have a few big hitters in their team. Yet, Bangladesh’s bowlers are smart enough to squeeze the runs and not let their opponents capitalize on this.
