Bangladesh bowl first in their first warm-up match against Afghanistan on Monday in Brisbane. The Tigers will play two warm-up matches ahead of the main event. While the first match is against Afghanistan, the Tigers will take on South Africa in the second on October 19 at the same venue. Bangladesh will test their final squad in these two matches. Ahead of the World Cup, Bangladesh played a Tri-Series in New Zealand where they lost all four matches against the hosts and Pakistan. Prior to the Tri-Seris, Bangladesh failed to do well in the Asia Cup as well. Due to consecutive failures in the T20 format, the supporters do not expect much from the Bangladesh team in the World Cup. Bangladesh playing XI: Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Afif Hossain, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Soumya Sarkar and Shoriful Islam.  

The Bangladesh national men’s Twenty20 cricket team will start their Asia Cup 2022 campaign on Tuesday against Afghanistan. The match is crucial for the team Tigers in their quest for a Super Four berth. Bangladesh will play with less pressure in their final group stage fixture against Sri Lanka on September 1 if they can beat Afghanistan in their first match. Afghanistan, on the other hand, will secure a place in the next round if they beat Bangladesh. The Team Tigers have a tough job on hand to overcome a confident Afghan side who destroyed the Lankan side in the tournament opener. Let’s take a look at what the Bangladesh team needs to do to overcome Afghanistan. Why is Afghanistan the top team in Group B? The Afghanistan men’s national T20 team shocked many cricket pundits in the Asia Cup 2022 opener by beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets in a one-sided affair at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. The way Afghanistan dominated the contest was quite shocking to many. The majority of cricket experts consider Sri Lanka the favourite in Group B to advance to the Super Four phase. But after their dismal showing against Afghanistan, they could be the first team to be eliminated from the tournament. Read Afif named vice captain of Bangladesh cricket team for Asia Cup Afghanistan is a dangerous Twenty20 side. However, they have a tendency to struggle when facing the world’s best opponents, which is an unjustified remark towards them. The stats indicate that Afghanistan haven’t played many matches against big opposition. If given a chance on a regular basis, the Afghan side could be able to showcase their true potential against tougher opponents. On paper, Sri Lanka's squad in Group B has the most talented shorter-format players. However, Afghanistan have found the perfect balance in their play, which is key to winning the contest. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have arrived in the tournament with some disappointing performances in recent series and they are not in better shape at the moment. That is why Afghanistan should be considered the best team from this group. Team Tigers captain Shakib Al Hasan didn’t reveal any particular target to the media before leaving the country. Voicing an aim would be somewhat foolish if the team is having trouble putting together a winning combination for the playing XI. Shakib knows he has to fix some areas before showing his confidence in the press conference. Read Asia Cup: Afghanistan make flying start beating Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in opener The Sri Lankan campaign didn’t expect that they would see a monstrous performance from the Afghanistan side. Their equation to reach the next round will become even more difficult if Bangladesh manage to beat Afghanistan in the next match of Group B. Sri Lanka will then have to beat Bangladesh by a big margin, like the way they lost to Afghanistan. The talented Lankan players need to show a ruthless and dominating performance in their last group phase match. The Afghanistan campaign is now riding high on confidence after their brilliant performance in the fifteenth edition of the Asia Cup. Their openers were ruthless towards the Lankan bowlers, and their bowling unit choked the opposition batters by showing good discipline with the ball. If this performance is maintained, Bangladesh will find it difficult to beat them. Things Bangladesh need to ponder before the Afghanistan clash Making an ideal team combination is now the major concern for Bangladesh team management. Two of the confirmed players for the playing XI, Nurul Hasan and Hasan Mahmud, are out due to injuries. Mohammad Naim and Ebadot Hossain replaced them in the squad. Read Asia Cup 2022: India vs Pakistan Group A Match preview The main concern is which players the Bangladesh team management would be willing to include in the playing XI. There are certain things they need to ponder before constructing a team for the massive clash against Afghanistan. What will be the role of Bangladesh's openers? There is no clear-cut indication from the Bangladesh team management regarding the opening pairs. But multiple sources claimed that Anamul Haque Bijoy’s position in the opening slot is likely confirmed. Shakib wants Mushfiqur Rahim to be Anamul’s opening partner. If Mushfiqur gets an opening slot, that could turn out to be a fruitful one for the team. Mushfiqur is the most experienced player in the squad and can play spinners well. If he can give a blistering start, that would do well for the Tigers. Anamul, on the other hand, would play the anchor role by staying at the crease till the end of the innings. Read Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, Group B Match 1 preview What should the upper middle-order do if things go south? The chance of openers failing is a possibility since Bangladesh have yet to find an ideal opening pair in the T20 format. The upper middle-order then has a big responsibility to construct the innings in order to put up a competitive score on the board. A partnership consisting of 10 overs would be ideal from the upper middle-order if the top order fails to deliver in the innings. Their main target would be to set the foundation for the power hitters in the lower middle order to accelerate the run rates in the death overs. The approach of the power hitters in the death overs The Bangladesh team management's current top concern is a lack of proper power hitters. Batting coach Jamie Siddons is working hard to teach his students some power hitting skills. How much the players have learned and their execution ability will be seen during the contest. But, Bangladesh should target a big score in order to overcome the Afghanistan side. In the death overs, batters must try to smack the ball out of the ground in search of more than 50 runs in the last five overs. Read Asia Cup 2022 Group B Preview: Can Bangladesh Reach Super 4 Round? The strategy of Bangladesh's bowling unit Afghanistan batters are well-equipped to play strokes, as was seen in the first match of the 2022 Asia Cup Cricket. Bangladesh bowlers may find it hard to stop them if they don’t show discipline in their bowling. The team Tigers' bowlers must maintain great consistency in their bowling and shouldn’t let them have any chance to free their arms. Since Afghan batters love to play big shots, they can be agitated if the opposition bowlers continue to deliver dot balls. Making them feel uncomfortable in the middle could be a nice strategy against them, so that they are forced to make a mistake. Besides, there is nothing better way to put the opposition batting lineup under pressure than picking up early wickets. Afghanistan’s T20 record at Sharjah Ground is a major worry for Bangladesh The second match of Group B between Bangladesh and Afghanistan will take place at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on August 30. This is a good hunting venue for Afghanistan. They have won 10 out of 13 matches played at the Sharjah stadium. Although they have only ever defeated weaker opponents. In contrast, Bangladesh lost the two matches they played against Sri Lanka and West Indies at this venue in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Read Asia Cup Cricket: A look back at Bangladesh’s 5 memorable victories Afghan players have dominated the individual stats at this ground. The top three run scorers and the top three bowlers are from Afghanistan. Mohammad Shahzad is the top scorer at this ground with 430 runs, followed by Mohammad Nabi with 260 runs. Both players have more than 140 strike rates. Samiullah Shinwari leads the bowling stats with 12 wickets, while Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan both have 10 wickets each. The Afghan players are well versed with the conditions and they can capitalize on them during the match against Bangladesh. The Tigers must first understand the nature of the Sharjah pitch and then devise an appropriate strategy. Head-to-Head record: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Afghanistan have a better head-to-head T20 record against Bangladesh. The Afghan side has won five and lost three of the eight matches they have faced against the team Tigers. The two sides last met each other in a 2-match bilateral series last March, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Afghanistan even whitewashed Bangladesh in a 3-match bilateral series in June 2018. Read Asia Cup Cricket 2022: Meet the captains of 6 participating teams H2H T20I record between Bangladesh and Afghanistan Match Bangladesh Won Afghanistan Won 8 3 5    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Bottom Line Afghanistan will start as favourites in their final Group B fixture against Bangladesh on August 30 at the Sharjah Cricket stadium. There are three reasons why Afghanistan are favourites against Bangladesh. One of the main reasons is that the Afghan T20 side has a magnificent record at the Sharjah Cricket Ground. Besides, they have a more well-balanced squad than their opposition, and their confidence level is high after a thumping win over Sri Lanka. Read Asia Cup 2022: Live streaming TV channels, online platforms to watch from Bangladesh Bangladesh have to overcome all the odds against their opposition to clinch their opening fixture in the Asia Cup 2022. The team Tigers have quality players in their roster to find a way to beat the Afghan side. However, the players need to be determined, the game plan in the Bangladesh vs Afgnatisnan match in Asia Cup Cricket 2022 has to be executed properly, and luck should be on Bangladesh’s side in this contest to come out as victorious.

The Asia Cup cricket 2022 will begin with the group phase contest. Six teams will be divided into two groups, each containing three. India, Pakistan and the winner of the qualifier will play in Group A. On the other hand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will play in Group B, which is considered the group of death. The Asia Cup 2022 Group B preview is discussed in this article. Asia Cup Cricket 2022: Group B Preview Finishing in the top two in the Group B points table will be a real challenge as all are well capable of advancing to the Super Four phase. A fiercely contested battle is expected in all three matches in this group. Let’s take a closer look at each squad in this group. Bangladesh   The Bangladesh cricket team’s recent T20 performances have been unimpressive. Their two T20I victories this year have come against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, respectively. They even failed to win a series against the Zimbabwean team a few weeks ago. Read Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over Pakistan So, the Bangladesh team is not heading to the Asia Cup with their best of form. Appointing Shakib Al Hasan as captain and hiring Sridharan Sriram as technical consultant are two good decisions the BCB made prior to the tournament. However, as per recent form, Bangladesh will not start as the favourite to finish in the top two in Group B. Strengths Having Shakib Al Hasan as captain could be Bangladesh’s main strength in the tournament. The Shakib-led Bangladesh team is expected to be rejuvenated during the main event. His decision-making ability, game awareness and leadership qualities are compared to none at the moment in Bangladesh. Besides, spinners can play a vital role in the middle overs to check the run flow of the opposition. Weaknesses The Bangladesh team has two major weaknesses in the T20 format of cricket. The team doesn’t have an established opening pair, and there is no proper power hitter for the death overs. It remains to be seen how they will address the deficiencies during the Asia Cup. Multiple sources have claimed that Shakib wants Mushfiqur Rahim to open the innings. The selectors recalled Sabbir Rahman to play the power hitting role in the middle order. Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament T20 Records against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan Bangladesh have a poor T20 record against both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The team Tigers has won only four matches and lost eight against Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Bangladesh have three victories and five losses against Afghanistan. Predicted Playing XI: Top-Order: Mushfiqur Rahim (wicket-keeper), Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (captain); Middle-Order: Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddeck Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin; Lower-Order: Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed Sri Lanka Sri Lanka have played eleven Twenty20 matches this year, eight against Australia and three against India. They have won two matches and both came against Australia. So, playing against tough opposition will boost Sri Lanka’s confidence ahead of the group stage clashes. The Lankan side will start as favourites to finish top in Group B. Read Shakib Al Hasan: Expectations from Bangladesh’s T20 captain in Asia Cup 2022 Strengths Over the last one year, the cricket world has witnessed some seriously talented T20 format cricketers from Sri Lanka. They have some individual match-winners, which is their biggest strength. Among them, all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga will top the list. Besides, Dushmantha Chameera, Pathum Nissanka, and hard-hitter Dasun Shanaka are some of Sri Lanka’s top performers in recent series. Weaknesses Most of the Lankan players don’t have enough international experience. Besides, constructing a match-winning playing XI could be a major concern for them. T20 Records against Afghanistan and Bangladesh Sri Lanka have won eight matches against Bangladesh and lost four. On the other hand, Sri Lanka won the only T20 game they played against Afghanistan in 2016. Predicted Playing XI Top-Order: Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka,  Middle-Order: Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wicket-keeper), Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne,  Lower-Order: Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Praveen Jayawickrama. Read Asia Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh National Men’s T20 Cricket Squad Afghanistan Afghanistan have won the majority of their T20 matches this year. However, all of their fixtures were against weaker opponents. They have some T20 specialist players who have the ability to change the scenario of a match on their own. Afghanistan will start as the second favourite to qualify for the Super Four round from this group. Strengths     Afghanistan have some of the best T20 format spinners in their squad. Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Rashid Khan are all world-class bowlers. Besides, their captain, Nabi, is the current world No. 1 all-rounder. He would probably be the most vital player for the Afghan side. They have some quality power hitters as well, and one of them is Hazratullah Zazai. Weaknesses The Afghanistan team sometimes tends to lose grip whenever they face any tough opposition. The Afghan players have to develop patience and a steady approach to have a solid performance against stronger opponents. T20 Records against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Afghanistan have won five matches against Bangladesh and lost three. On the other hand, Afghanistan lost the only T20 match they played against Sri Lanka in 2016. Read Asia Cup 2022: Who are favourites to lift the trophy? Predicted Playing XI Top-Order: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran,  Middle-Order: Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan,  Lower-Order: Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi Asia Cup 2022: Full Fixtures of Group B The Asia Cup of Cricket 2022 will kick off with the Group B match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Here are the fixtures for Group B. Date: 27 August | Match: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium  Date: 30 August | Match: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan | Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium  Date: 1 September | Match: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium  Verdict According to the Asia Cup 2022 Group B preview, Bangladesh will not begin the match as the favourites to advance to the next round. However, if the Shakib Al Hasan-led Tigers T20 team can reach their full potential during the competition, they have the ability to shock everyone. The favourites in this group, the Sri Lankan campaign is in full confidence, especially following a strong performance in their most recent T20 series against Australia. Afghanistan, on the other hand, has a reputation for being a deadly T20 team and is innately confident in their ability to defeat anyone. Bangladesh must thus work hard to defeat these two confident teams to secure a spot in the Super Four. Read ICC CWC Super League: WI, SL, SA could miss out on direct qualification

Bangladesh's three-match One-Day International series and two-match T20 series against Afghanistan at home came to an end on Saturday, (March 5). They won the limited-overs series 2-1, while the Twenty20 series ended in a 1-1 draw. Bangladesh team had a mixed performance in both series. On an individual level, several players' performances were satisfactory for the BCB. Besides, there were also a few disappointing performances. Let's take a look at Bangladesh's overall performance and how the players fared in the BAN vs AFG Series 2022. Bangladesh Cricket Team's Performance in the BAN vs AFG Series 2022 Afghanistan's visit to Bangladesh began with a limited-overs series. The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram hosted all of the series' ODI matches. Following the completion of the ODI series, both teams returned to Dhaka for the T20I series at the SBNCS, Mirpur. Bangladesh’s Performance in ODI Series Bangladesh campaign had hoped for a good victory over their opponents in the first match, but their hopes were dashed. Bangladesh were reduced to 45/6 in 11.2 overs when chasing Afghanistan's 215 runs. The undefeated 174* run partnership between Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz helped the hosts win the match by four wickets. Read Shane Warne's Death: The Spin Wizard's Astounding Cricket Moments and Records Bangladesh players went into the second encounter full of confidence after an incredible victory in the first match. Their on-field confidence was reflected in the team's overall performance. Bangladesh went on to win the vital second One-Day International by 88 runs after scoring a massive 306/4. Bangladesh would have moved up to sixth place in the ICC ODI rankings if they had won the series 3-0 over Afghanistan. However, the final encounter was a massive failure for the hosts. They were dismissed for 192 runs, which Afghanistan easily chased down in 40.1 overs for the loss of only three wickets. Read ICC Women's World Cup: Tigresses start campaign on wrong foot The hosts won the ODI series 2-1 and climbed to the top of the ICC World Cup Super League points table. Bangladesh team was anticipated to win the series, but failing to whitewash Afghanistan was a major disappointment. Bangladesh’s Performance in T20I Series Bangladesh dominated the opening Twenty20 encounter of the series, winning by 61 runs. But as in the ODI series, batters struggled in the final match of the T20I series and they were restricted to 115/9 in the allotted 20 overs. Afghanistan comfortably chased down the target for the loss of two wickets with 14 balls to spare. Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Can Bangladesh Whitewash Afghanistan in Twenty20 Series? Bangladesh had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Afghanistan in the T20I series, which was yet another disappointment. If Bangladesh had won the series 2-0 over Afghanistan, they would have moved up to the seventh position in the ICC T20I standings. Bangladesh have lost nine of their previous ten Twenty20 matches, and the BCB needs an effective plan for the development of the T20 format. Individual Performances by Bangladesh Players in the Bangladesh-Afghanistan series 2022  Some young Bangladeshi cricketers excelled in the series against Afghanistan. Besides, it was disappointing that the senior cricketers did not perform well on a consistent basis. Let's take a look at the performance of Bangladesh's players throughout the series. Read BAN vs AFG Series 2022: Bangladesh’s Predicted Playing XI for First T20I Batting Liton Das' return to form in the limited-overs format was one of Bangladesh's most notable achievements in the series. He was the team's leading scorer with 223 runs. Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz proved that they are ready to take responsibility on the international stage with a superb match-winning partnership in the first ODI. Afif ended the ODI series as Bangladesh's second-highest run-scorer. Besides, Mushfiqur Rahim scored 86 runs in the second One-Day International. ODI captain and opener, Tamim Iqbal had a disastrous series, getting out three times in Fazalhaq Farooqi's bowling. He has to improve his footwork technique, especially when it comes to incoming deliveries. Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad both struggled with the bat in the series. Newcomer, Yasir Ali only made 1 run in three innings. Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Bangladesh Seek Resurgence in Twenty20 Format Top three run-scorers for Bangladesh in the ODI series Player Innings Runs HS 100s Litton Das 3 223 136 1 Afif Hossain 3 111 93* 0 Mushfiqur Rahim 3 96 86 0    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Players to Watch Liton Das was Bangladesh's leading run-scorer in the T20 format, with 73 runs. His top score of 60 runs came in the first match of the series, which assisted Bangladesh set up a challenging score to defend. Other than him, no other batters stood out in this two-match series. Afif Hossain was the second-highest run-scorer with 32 runs, while skipper Mahmudullah made 31. Bowling Shakib Al Hasan took the most wickets for Bangladesh in the ODI series. He took five wickets in three innings. Bangladesh's front-line pacers — Mustafizur, Taskin, and Shoriful – all performed well in the limited-overs series. Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Bangladesh Aim to Leapfrog Afghanistan in ICC Rankings Top three wicket-takers for Bangladesh in ODI series  Player Innings Wickets BBI Econ Shakib Al Hasan 3 5 2/38 4.65 Mustafizur Rahman 3 4 3/35 4.83 Taskin Ahmed 3 4 2/31 4.61    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read ICC Test Championship: SA maintain fourth position after series draw against NZ Nasum Ahmed bowled brilliantly in the opening T20I, taking four wickets for only ten runs to help Bangladesh take a 1-0 series lead. He was the most successful bowler for the hosts in the Twenty20 series. In addition, Shakib Al Hasan, Shoriful Islam, and Mustafizur Rahman looked impressive in the first match. However, they all struggled in the second T20I. Fielding Bangladesh's fielding was a major disappointment In the Afghanistan series. They dropped nine catches in five matches, which is a very concerning statistic for a Test-playing nation. Bangladesh's fielding must be at its best in the upcoming series against South Africa. Otherwise, both the ODI and Test series will be a catastrophe for them. Read BAN vs AFG 2022: Notable T20I records between Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Way Forward Bangladesh had high hopes of winning all five of their matches against Afghanistan. They should have won all of the games based on how they started both series. However, the host had struggled in the last matches of each series. Therefore, they were unable to attain the desired result in the BAN vs AFG series 2022. Bangladesh as a team must develop substantially in order to be more competitive against the South African national team in the next series. Players must be dedicated to improving their individual performances in order to be well equipped to face a formidable Proteas team. Read ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022: Full Fixtures, Dates, Venues

Bangladesh tumbled for 115 for nine in 20 overs in the 2nd T20I against Afghanistan on Saturday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first, but the hosts failed to respond well. Openers, Munim Shahriar and Mohammad Naim posted seven runs in the first wicket partnership. Munim, who got a chance in the national team for his ability to hit the ball cleanly, failed to prove his mettle in the first two chances. Also read: Bangladesh bat first in Mushfiqur’s 100th T20I Mushfiqur Rahim, who is playing his 100th T20I as only the second Bangladeshi cricketer after Mahmudullah Riyad, scored 30, the highest by any Bangladeshi batter in this match. Mahmudullah Riyad, the Bangladesh captain, scored 21, the second-highest runs in this innings by a Bangladeshi batter. Mohammad Naim and Liton Das were the other two batters to have scored a double-digit total— 13 each. Afghanistan bowled superbly. Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi continued to shine taking three wickets conceding 18 in four overs while right-arm pacer Azmatullah Omarzai has also bagged three wickets conceding 22 in four overs. Also read: BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Can Bangladesh Whitewash Afghanistan in Twenty20 Series? Bangladesh won the first match by 61 runs at the same venue.

Bangladesh were unable to sweep Afghanistan in the one-day international series after losing the third match. The hosts will have another chance to whitewash the visitors when both teams meet for the second T20I on March 5 at SBNCS, Mirpur. Bangladesh must win the second match as the twenty20 series has only two games. On the other hand, Afghanistan have no choice but to win the match in order to level the BAN vs AFG T20I series in 2022. The second T20I match preview is discussed in this article. Second Match Preview of Bangladesh-Afghanistan T20I Series 2022 Bangladesh team management would be anticipating the same level of performance from their players as they did in the previous encounter. Oppositely, Afghanistan will be hoping that their top-order shines in this do-or-die contest. The match will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday (Bangladesh Standard Time) at SBNCS, Mirpur. Bangladesh Litton Das has been in excellent form in all formats since the beginning of the year, which should please the selectors. Litton is Bangladesh's best grammatical batter, and his consistency with the bat is crucial to the team's success. Read Legendary Australia cricketer Shane Warne dies at 52 Bangladesh's opening worries have yet to be fixed, which is a major concern. Debutant Munim Shahriar didn't last long, and Mohammad Naim failed once more with the bat in the opening match of the series. Mushfiqur Rahim is expected to return to the playing XI, and Naim might be sidelined to make room for the veteran. Bangladesh's bowlers were outstanding in the opening encounter. Nasum Ahmed single-handedly demolished Afghanistan's top order and he will certainly be a major concern for the visiting team. Shakib completed his 400th limited-overs wicket in the previous encounter, and Shoriful excelled with his accuracy. This bowling unit is more than capable of upsetting Afghanistan's batting order.  Predicted playing XI Top Order: Litton Das, Munim Shahriar, Shakib Al Hasan, Middle-Orders: Mushfiqur Rahim (wicket-keeper), Mahmudullah Riyad (captain), Yasir Ali, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Lower-Order: Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed. Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Bangladesh Seek Resurgence in Twenty20 Format Afghanistan The overall performance of the Afghanistan team was concerning in the opening encounter. They didn't have their best outing in the series-opening match. The bowling unit performed well, but the batters were underwhelming.    This Afghan top order is inexperienced, and they will require more time to get foreign expertise. However, as we witnessed in the first match, this is a significant advantage for Bangladesh. The Afghanistan team needs a strong start in the match for a competitive total. The top order in this match must tick in order for this to happen. Rashid Khan, Mujeeb, and Nabi need to step up in the bowling unit to put greater pressure on the Bangladesh batters. Afghanistan must restrict Bangladesh in between 130 to 140 for creating a better opportunity to win the match.   Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Players to Watch Predicted Playing XI  Top Order: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wicket-Keeper), Hazratullah Zazai, Darwish Rasooli, Middle Orders: Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Lower Order: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Qais Ahmed        Pitch Report and Weather Saturday will be bright, with no rain in the forecast. The first match pitch was a little grassy, which was not ideal for Afghanistan spinners. Bangladesh had dominated for the majority part of the game on that surface. Therefore, the second match is anticipated to be played on the same surface. Bottom Line Afghanistan team is expected to make a strong recovery in the second match in order to even the series. They are a tough T20 side, and overcoming them twice in a row will be difficult for Bangladesh. On the contrary, the Bangladeshi team may draw a lot of positives from their thrashing victory in the series opener. The Mahmudullah-led team will seek to capitalize on a new-look Afghanistan team in order to clinch a clean sweep against them for the first time. Overall, the second match of the BAN vs AFG T20I series 2022 is predicted to be enthralling.    Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Bangladesh Aim to Leapfrog Afghanistan in ICC Rankings

Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Liton Das, who hit 60 off 44 balls in the first T20 against Afghanistan on Thursday applauded Nasum Ahmed for his “game-changing bowling”.  While Liton helped Bangladesh post a challenging total of 155-8, Nasum’s fiery bowling demolished Afghanistan to clinch a win 61-run victory at Mirpur’s packed Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Masum ended up taking four wickets conceding only 10 runs in four overs— his best bowling figure in this format.   “The way Nasum bowled was a game-changing effort,” Liton said after the match. “Had he not picked up early wickets, the result of the match would have been different. I think the wicket was better, and considering that Nasum bowled really well.” Nasum removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the very first over when Afghanistan started to chase the target of 156. Afghanistan were never able to recover from that early setback.  Read: Liton, Nasum guide Bangladesh to easy win vs Afghanistan in first T20 “Nasum is not like other left-arm spinners. I played him a lot in the nets, and he always tries to do something different. He can play with his pace, which is so important in T20 cricket. It’s easy to pick if a bowler comes up with the same kind of deliveries. I think he is a different type of bowler,” Liton further said about Nasum.  Bangladesh fielded two uncapped players in this match— Munim Shahriar and Yasir Ali. To give a chance as an opener to Munim, Liton had to bat changing his regular position of an opener. “I’m not to talk about the change of my batting position. Whenever I play for Bangladesh, my only focus remains on doing well and contributing to the team’s result,” Liton said.  “I will do whatever the team is expecting from me. If the team management asks me to bat at number one tomorrow, I’ll do it. I have nothing to say about it,” Liton further told the media.

Nasum Ahmed grabbed four early wickets after Liton Das smashed a fine 60 to guide Bangladesh to an easy 61-run victory against Afghanistan in the first T20I on Thursday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.  In a full-packed stadium, at least 24,000 spectators cheered the Tigers in their thumping win demolishing the Afghans with 14 balls in hand. Bangladesh posted 155-8 in 20 overs bating first after winning the toss. In reply, Afghanistan tumbled for 94 all out in 17.4 overs.  Najibullah Zadran was the best batter for Afghanistan scoring 27 off 26 balls. But his effort was not enough for the tourists to chase a challenging target of 156 runs.  Bangladesh left-arm spinner Nasum bagged four wickets conceding only 10 runs in four overs. He struck in the very first over of the innings removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck. In his previous innings, in the third ODI prior to the T20 series, Gurbaz had a ton in Chattogram. But he failed to have a good start to the T20 series.  Afghanistan suffered an early setback when Gurbaz sliced an easy catch at the point area to Yasir Ali. 

Liton Das has propelled Bangladesh to a challenging total of 155 in the first T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday in Dhaka.  Liton hit 60, his fifth half century in the format, off 44 with two sixes and four fours.  Mohammad Naim and the debutant Munim Shahriar opened the innings for the hosts, but they failed to make a good start as they posted 10 in the first wicket stand.  Naim, who had a lean campaign during the last edition of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), failed to prove his mettle once again as he fell for two this time.  Read: BAN vs AFG Series 2022: Bangladesh’s Predicted Playing XI for First T20I Munim had a good start as he struck a four early in his first international innings. But he couldn't carry it on as he fell for 17 off 18 balls with three fours. The number four batter, Shakib Al Hasan, also returned early scoring only five off six balls.  After Shakib, Mahmudullah Riyad also stayed only for a few minutes in the middle. The Bangladesh captain scored 10 off seven balls with a six.  However, Liton was firm at the other end of the wicket. He and Afif Hossain added 46 runs in the fifth wicket stand.  After Liton fell to Fazalhaq Farooqi for 60, Afif was dismissed for 25 off 24 balls.  Bangladesh eventually ended up on 155 for eight in 20 overs.  For Afghanistan, Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai scalped two wickets each. 

Bangladesh have won the toss and opted to bat first in the first T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka.  Bangladesh included uncapped Munim Shahriar and Yasir Ali in the squad. Munim has recently drawn the attention performing well in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) representing Fortune Barishal under the captaincy of Shakib Al Hasan.  Read:BAN vs AFG Series 2022: Bangladesh’s Predicted Playing XI for First T20I Yasir, the right-handed batter, has been around the national team for a while now. He has been performing good in the domestic circuit for a few years but failed to prove his mettle in the ODI series prior to the T20 series against Afghanistan.  Bangladesh also included Mohammad Naim in the playing XI despite his lean show in the BPL.  Bangladesh are going to miss the service of Mushfiqur Rahim in this match due to a contusion of the right thumb. To replace him, Bangladesh included Nurul Hasan Sohan in the squad who is not in the playing XI of the first match.  The second match of the series will take place on March 5 at the same venue.  Read:Mahmudullah aims to play fearless cricket in T20Is Bangladesh (Playing XI): Liton Das (w), Mohammad Naim, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad (c), Yasir Ali, Afif Hossain, Munim Shahriar, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Shohidul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman Afghanistan (Playing XI): Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Qais Ahmad