The opening Bangladesh vs Afghanistan T-20 match in Sylhet was a breathtaking match. After a hectic competition, Bangladesh managed a win against the Afghanistan army on the home pitch. Now, they are looking for the next one on 16th July at the same venue. Let us see what the match preview says.
Bangladesh vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I Match preview:
Bangladesh:
After losing the ODI series by 2-1, Bangladesh have managed to fix the issues around. They won the last ODI match as a consolation. But the opening T-20 match was a blessing to them. In the next match, Rony Talukdar and Litton Das will open the innings. Das has been Bangladesh’s top run-getter this year in T-20 internationals. He has enlisted 247 in seven international innings at a strike rate of 151.53. But his record against Afghanistan is not enough at all. Najmul Hossain Shanto in the third place has provided the required anchoring. He averages 44.50 in seven T-20 international matches this year.
Bangladeshi mid-order survived the scare in the last match. The batting section with Hridoy, Shakib, and Shamim Hossain will be the key factor for Bangladesh grabbing the series against Afghanistan. Skipper Shakib has been outstanding in this current season. Apart from his 121 runs with the bat, his 10 wickets with the ball at an average of 13.80 made his place on the top. He will be the key player to notice in the next Bangladesh vs Afghanistan match.
In the bowling department, Taskin Ahmed will lead with Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman. Taskin is the leading wicket-taker this season with 13 wickets averaging 14.46. The only issue in Bangladeshi bowling is that other bowlers excluding Taskin and Shakib have not got wickets. After them, it is Mustafizur only, who has 4 wickets in six matches.
Afghanistan:
Afghanistan probably has lost confidence after winning the last 2 games of the Bangladesh tour. Both openers Rahamanullah Gurbaz and Hazaratullah Zazai have not scored runs in the previous 2 matches. With the entire top order falling like the cards, captain Rashid Khan has a headache mounting up the series. Gurbaz has a decent record this season with 139 runs in seven innings and with 113.93 strike rate. Ibrahim Zadran in the third position is not scoring fast for the team. A strike rate of 99.21 at number three is not enough at this point.
Md Nabi is still playing as the key player and showing everyone the exact way to be done. The veteran all-rounder has made 123 runs in four games at a strike rate of 126.80. In the next match, he will be the player to observe besides Gurbaz. Karim Janat has the highest strike rate for Afghanistan this year with a 135 strike rate. 48 and 2 fifties this year are showing that he can lead the batting in the middle easily. Janat also took a hat-trick in the first T-20 international match.
The Afghani bowling department has gone from strongest to weakest during this year. They are not working well on collecting wickets. This is the reason have made them lose three out of seven matches played currently. Rashid Khan is on the top in taking wickets with his eight wickets. He will be the key bowler in the next T-20 match.
Bangladesh vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I Predicted players:
Predicted playing 11 for Bangladesh:
Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman
Predicted playing 11 for Afghanistan:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Forms
Both sides have entered in the shortest format with good forms. Bangladesh showed their progress by defeating England, with an appreciable 3-0 win, followed by a 2-1 rhythm over Ireland in their last 2 T-20 series, both of which were played on the home ground. On the other hand, before the Bangladesh vs Afghanistan match, Rashid’s squad displayed their strong position by defeating Pakistan, in their recent series held in the UAE. Ultimately, the series was done with a 2-1 scoreline. So now, both sides are under pressure to defeat one another in the upcoming match.
Bangladesh vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I Prediction
Bangladesh seemed stable at home. They have lost just a single T-20 series against Pakistan and that too back in 2018. They have won five out of the seven T-20 this year. Afghanistan is also optimistic about the next Bangladesh vs Afghanistan match. I guess Afghanistan will come back in the race in the second T-20 match.
