Afghanistan and Bangladesh will lock horns in a one-off Test at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday, October 9. Bangladesh are known for their well-developed seam bowling attack. Yet, it remains to be seen how well they adapt to these conditions. The pitch in Abu Dhabi is well-known to assist spinners. Whichever team manages to hit the right lengths early will gain in confidence.
Afghanistan, quite surprisingly, have announced a young squad led by Rahmat Shah, who takes over from the incumbent Hashmatullah Shahidi. This move is likely to play straight into Bangladesh’s hands. The Bangla Digers have some of the best cricketers in the world in this format. The tussle between the two teams and its one-sided nature means that the game may not last all five days. Afghanistan will rely on senior batters Shah and Shahidi to hand them an advantage. On the other hand, Bangladesh know that if their bowlers do the trick, they will be in for early success in the UAE.
Predicted Teams
IND: Rahmanullah, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah (c), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Abdul Malik, Afsar Zazar, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Qais Ahmed, Zia-ur Rehman Akbar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem.
BAN: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud.
Key Players
Hashmatullah Shahidi (AFG): Hashmatullah Shahidi’s role in the Afghanistan top order is vital in red-ball cricket. The southpaw plays each ball on its merit and is known for his shot selection. Shahidi was formerly Afghanistan’s captain in this format. He is an experienced hand and is equally comfortable against spin and pace. Despite handing the captaincy to Rahmat Shah, Shahidi has remained a key member of the team due to his ability to see Afghanistan through in difficult situations. Shahidi is strong off the front foot. However, he cannot be found unawares when bowlers pitch it short, either away from the body or at it. Shahidi’s ability to play seam well and negate the swing of each delivery will come in handy against Bangladesh, who have a long list of top-class fast bowlers in their ranks.
Mushfiqur Rahim (BAN): Mushfiqur Rahim is one of the most experienced players in the Bangladesh side. The senior wicketkeeper-batter has calm and composed nature at the crease. He can also bat for long periods of time. Although he may not don the big gloves against Afghanistan and hand them over to Litton Das instead, Rahim will remain an integral part of the Bangladesh batting unit. Rahim uses his feet well to get to the pitch of the ball, and as a result, plays spin extremely well. The sweep is one of his favourite strokes, and spinners, especially those bowling off-breaks, find it very challenging to maintain their rhythm against him. He is quite an irritating batter to bowl at since he can rotate the strike comfortably through all passages of play without looking uncomfortable at all.
Match Prediction
Bangladesh have the edge over Afghanistan in this one-off Test. Bangladesh cricket is going through a massive moment of glory. Their recent victory in the first Test over Australia in Darwin gave them a lot of confidence. That was Bangladesh’s first victory away from home over Australia, and they will continue in the same momentum against the Afghans in the UAE. The Afghans have named quite an inexperienced side for this Test, and that may end up hurting them. Bangladesh’s experience is unmatched, both in the batting and bowling departments.
