Afghanistan Tour of Bangladesh
BAN vs AFG, 2nd T20I

Preview 

Following the ODI series loss against Afghanistan, the Bangla Tigers were under tremendous pressure of doing well in the T20 format of the game. The Sakib Al Hasan-led side managed a narrow win in the first game as they chased down 155 runs with one ball to spare. With the two-wicket win, they have now taken an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match T20I series. 

Bangladesh needed six runs off the final over and Mehidy Hasan Miraz hit Karim Janat for a boundary to bring the total down to two runs off five deliveries. Janat made a tremendous comeback thereafter picking up a hat-trick sending Mehidy Hasan, Taskin Ahmed and Nasum Ahmed back to the pavilion making it tough for the hosts to take away the match. Later on, Shoriful Islam hit him for a four on the final ball to snatch away the victory. The Man of the Match award went to Towhid Hridoy who was the star performer for his 47 runs knock of 32 deliveries hitting three fours and two sixes in the process. 

Mohammad Nabi’s 54 runs off 40 deliveries in the first innings which helped the Afghans to post a fighting total against the Tigers went off in vain as they lost the match in the penultimate ball of the series. 

Match Details

Match: BAN vs AFG, 2nd T20I, Afghanistan tour of Bangladesh, 2023

Date: Sunday, July 16, 2023

Time: 5:30 PM

Venue: Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet

Pitch and Weather Report

The track at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium has proven to be quite challenging for the batters, presenting them with numerous difficulties in their batting efforts. Characterised by its slower nature, this pitch tends to favour spinners who will undoubtedly relish their time out on the field. As the match progresses, the pitch gradually slows down further, amplifying the challenges faced by batsmen. Moreover, the low bounce on this track adds another layer of complexity, making it exceptionally arduous for stroke players to execute their shots effectively.

Predicted Weather: 33°C

Precipitation: 40%

Humidity: 80%

Wind: 6 km/hr

BAN vs AFG Squads

BAN: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mohammad Naim, Shakib Al Hasan, Afif Hossain, Litton Das (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Rony Talukdar

AFG: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Zia-ur-Rehman, Wafadar Momand, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Sayed Shirzad, Nijat Masood

BAN vs AFG Probable Playing XIs

BAN: Litton Das (wk), Najmul Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Afif Hossain, Rony Talukdar, Mehidy Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.

AFG: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Match Prediction

Shakib already said that he is going to do anything to win the series. Bangladesh is strong in home conditions. They have been defeated in just one T20I series and that too back in 2018 against Pakistan. They have won 5 out of their 7 T20Is this year and both T20I series. On the other hand, the visitors are struggling right now and are not in their best form. Thus we fancy Bangladesh to win the second match and seal the T20I series. 

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