Bangladesh take on the United Arab Emirates in Sharjah in the first of the two T20Is they are slated to play on Saturday, May 17. This will be new captain Litton Das’s first test, although the UAE are not known for sporting extremely challenging outfits. This game will allow Das to ease into his role while also giving his team a feel for his style of functioning.
Bangladesh will have an upper hand over UAE since the latter are not even a Test-playing nation. The two-match series is seen as Bangladesh’s preparation for their upcoming five games away against Pakistan. In these conditions, the UAE must know well what to do. Yet, Bangladesh are also quite experienced in their own right and will know what is right for them and what is not.
This series against the UAE will also allow Bangladesh to experiment with their squad and give the youngsters a chance. Das has been appointed captain of the side till the T20 World Cup next year. If his performances are up to the mark, he will also be given the armband in the marquee event.
Bangladesh have a lot of improvement to make if they are to compete in the T20 World Cup with skill, and their preparation begins in this series. Along with Das, Towhid Hridoy and Mustafizur Rahman will be among the players to watch out for Bangladesh in this series. They will have to go big to ensure that they do not fall behind the times and take their country back to the days of its former glory.
Predicted teams
UAE: Rahul Chopra (c), Sagar Kalyan, Muhammad Jawadullah, Simranjeet Singh, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Alishan Sharafu, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Waseem, Aayan Afzal Khan, Asif Khan.
BAN: Litton Das (c), Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
Key Players
Asif Khan (UAE): Asif Khan, who usually bats at number three for the United Arab Emirates, will be their biggest threat in this game. He is in fine form, having recently scored 75 against the Netherlands in an ODI. This is why he will be expected to carry it forward in this game against Bangladesh as well. Khan is a hard-hitter who likes to take on the spinners for big sixes, especially down the ground. His mere presence at the crease is often enough to create fear and worry in the minds of their opponents, and Bangladesh will have to be wary of giving him too many loose balls before he gets set.
Soumya Sarkar (BAN): All-rounder Soumya Sarkar is one of the players to watch out for in this game, given his versatility. He is one of the rare cricketers who is equally good with bat and ball in hand. At the top of the order, the southpaw is known to play classy knocks, which use the timing of the ball to pierce gaps in the outfield. With the ball in hand, Sarkar is renowned for being the ‘golden arm’ and getting crucial breakthroughs whenever his team needs them the most. He will be kept in check by the UAE players in this game if they are to ensure themselves of a low-scoring encounter.
Match Prediction
Bangladesh are the favourite to win this game since they have both experience and youth in their favour. Although Najmul Hossain Shanto has given up the captaincy, he is still a crucial player for the visitors, like Rishad Hossain and Mahedi Hasan. After being appointed vice-captain, the latter will be expected to prove a point or two, and there is no better chance to do so than against the UAE.
As for the hosts, skipper Rahul Chopra will hope that his wards need no motivation to rally themselves against an opponent as famed as Bangladesh. Still, the visitors are expected to win this game by quite a comfortable margin. The UAE, however, will not give up without a fight, especially as they are playing in home conditions.
