Afghanistan (AFG) will take on Bangladesh (BAN) in the first ODI of the three match series. This match will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah on November 6 at 3:30 PM IST. Afghanistan and Bangladesh are all set to kickstart the three-match ODI series at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on November 6, 2024. The two sides have not really played a lot of 50-over games against each other. However, the forthcoming series is sure to serve as an intriguing one.
After beating South Africa 2-1 in the UAE, Afghanistan is set to battle Bangladesh in a three-match ODI series. The tournament’s first game will be played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, on November 6th from 3.30 pm onwards. Afghanistan has not lost a series this year in the UAE, but they have not had a good record in recent history when it comes to playing against Bangladesh.
AFG vs BAN : Previous Performances
Afghanistan cricket is going through one of their best phases. The A team have just won the Emerging Asia Cup and now the senior team will be looking to translate the success in the international format. The Afghanistan team looks a balanced side and there is a chance that they can overhaul the Bangladesh side in the series.
Afghanistan are coming off a spirited performance against the Proteas, getting the better of them in a three-match series played in September. With the same venue hosting the forthcoming ODIs, the team will surely be teeming with confidence to deliver the goods.
Afghanistan won their last ODI series (2-1) in the UAE against South Africa. They registered massive victories against South Africa in the series. They won the first game by 6 wickets with 144 balls remaining followed by a 177-run win in the second. Unfortunately, they lost the third game by 7 wickets. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the man of the series for his 194 runs in three games. This was Afghanistan’s only loss in the five games they played this year in the UAE.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, will be looking turn around their momentum as the formats change for them. They have been playing Test cricket for most part of the last three our four months. They had a good time in Pakistan but since then they have lost against India and then against South Africa in their own backyard. Najmul Hossain Shanto and his men will be looking to show that their still one of the better sides in the ODI format and start off the series with a win.
Bangladesh last played a 50-over game in March earlier this year. Although they won that particular series, they have been out of international practice for quite some time. It will be interesting to see the manner in which they go about things.
Bangladesh have so far played just three ODIs this year. They won the series (2-1) against Sri Lanka in March. With the series poised 1-1, the Bangladeshi bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 235 after Taskin Ahmed claimed three wickets for 42 in 10 overs. Opener Tanzid Hasan scored 84 off 81 during the chase to help Bangladesh win the game by four wickets and 58 balls in hand. Shanto was the player of the series for his 163 runs in three games.
Last year, both teams played in the ICC ODI World Cup against each other at Dharamshala. After inviting Afghanistan to bat, Bangladesh bowled them out for 156 runs. Shakib al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz picked three wickets each. Miraz then scored a half-century (57) with Najmul Hossain Shanto (59*) to win the game by 6 wickets in the 40th over of the game.
Bangladesh have dropped Anamul Haque, Taijul Islam, and Hasan Mahmud for the ODI series while Shakib al Hasan is yet not ready to play for his national team. On the other hand, Afghanistan is set to miss injured Ibrahim Zadran and Mujeeb ur Rahman. Sediq Ullah Atal and Noor Ahmed will be replacing the injured duo.
AFG vs BAN : Head to Head
| Matches Played | 16 |
| Won by Afghanistan | 6 |
| Won by Bangladesh | 10 |
| No Result | 0 |
| First-ever Fixture | 01/03/14 |
| Most-recent Fixture | 07/10/23 |
AFG vs BAN : Pitch Report
Sharjah offers a good batting surface but the spinners usually dominate in the middle overs. Batting first will be the ideal choice for the captain who wins the toss. Any score above 250 can be considered a good total on the board, considering the pitch slows down as the game progresses.
The pitch at the Sharjah cricket stadium is expected to be on the slower side and the batters will might struggle to play their shots. The spinners might play a big role in deciding the fate of the game.
The 1st ODI of the series will be played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, on November 6th from 3.30 pm onwards. The venue has a capacity of 16,000 spectators and has hosted 9 Tests, more than 100 ODIs & 59 T20Is.
In the last 10 ODIs, the results have identically favored the teams chasing or defending the target on 5 occasions. The average first innings score is 238. The team winning the toss should bat first.
The weather during the game is expected to be warm and the skies will remain clear. As reported by AccuWeather the temperature will be around 26°C with little to no chance of rain.
The weather will be sunny. The temperature will range between 24 and 33. The wind will be flowing from the west at 10-15 kmh. The stadium has been known for its batting-friendly pitches. Batsmen often enjoy good pace and bounce, making it conducive for stroke play. The ball tends to come onto the bat nicely, allowing for aggressive shots and high-scoring matches.
As the game progresses and the pitch begins to wear, spinners can come into play. Mumbai’s hot and humid conditions can cause the pitch to deteriorate, leading to assistance for spinners, particularly in the latter stages.
AFG vs BAN : Big Picture : Advantage Afghanistan in Sharjah
There’s considerable difference in the recent form of the two sides. Afghanistan come into this series on the back of their first bilateral ODI series win over South Africa. That was in September, and in Sharjah, one of their unofficial home grounds.
Bangladesh are massively short of confidence after the recent results against South Africa at home, where they lost both Tests – in Dhaka and Chattogram – quite convincingly. While Afghanistan are familiar with Sharjah, Bangladesh are going to play ODIs there for the first time in 29 years, after the 1995 Asia Cup. They have also played three T20Is at the venue, the last of which was a seven-wicket defeat against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup.
While Afghanistan have had a straightforward lead-up to the ODI series, the situation is very different for Bangladesh. Najmul Hossain Shanto is captain, but there’s still no proper clarity on his situation after he had informed the BCB that he wanted the Test series against South Africa to be his last as the captain.
There has also been all the confusion around the coach. Chandika Hathurusinghe was suspended first and then sacked in a couple of days, with Phil Simmons joining the team in between. All around the time the fiasco around Shakib’s Test retirement was on, which was followed by the champion allrounder not being able to travel to Bangladesh for the South Africa series because of concerns around his security.
Bangladesh found it tough to put it all behind them, at least on the evidence of the South Africa series, but they have to move on. The sooner the better. Ideally starting with this series.
AFG vs BAN : Vital Stats that matters
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz has 423 runs in 8 games this year, averaging 52.87.
- Taskin Ahmed has 20 wickets in 11 matches against Afghanistan at an economy of 4.80.
- Bangladesh have three wins in the last five ODIs against Afghanistan.
AFG vs BAN : Team News
Afghanistan :
Afghanistan is familiar with the UAE pitches. With three wins in the last four games, they will look forward to dominating Bangladesh. Rahmanullah Gurbaz will open the innings. Gurbaz has been their leading run scorer since the start of the last year. He has 1079 runs with four centuries and four half-centuries in 28 innings.
He will be the batter to watch out for. With Ibrahim Zadran injured, Riaz Hasan might open up with him. In 7 ODIs Hasan has 165 runs. Afghanistan have added Sediq Ullah Atal to their squad. Atal recently scored 52, 95*, and 83 in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup T20 tournament. Rahmat Shah will come at number three. Shah has 200 runs in 8 ODIs this year with three half-centuries.
Azmatullah Omarzai will partner with Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi. Omarzai is averaging at 68.40 this year with 342 runs in 8 innings. This includes his personal best of 149 against Sri Lanka at Pallekele. 39-year-old Mohammad Nabi has more than 250 runs at number 5 this year. In 16 games, he has picked 17 wickets against Bangladesh with an economy of 3.97 – the lowest among the bowlers from both teams. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi is struggling with his bat and scored 166 runs in 7 innings this year.
Rashid Khan will be the bowler to watch out for. In the last two games, he has picked 7 wickets at an economy of 2.80. He has an impressive record with the ball against Bangladesh with 19 wickets in 13 games. Fazalhaq Farooqi will lead the pace attack with Nangeyalia Kharote, and Gulbadin Naib. Farooqi is their leading wicket-taker this season, claiming 10 wickets in 7 games.
Afghanistan have brought in opening batter Sediq Ullah Atal and left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad in place of the injured pair of Ibrahim Zadran (ankle) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (hand).
Atal grabbed a lot of attention at the recent Asia Cup for emerging teams, where he struck three quick fifties to finish as the highest scorer. There is also the 20-year-old uncapped fast bowler Bilal Sami, who used the short ball effectively against Sri Lanka A at the emerging team’s tournament recently.
There are familiar faces to be wary of too. Noor recently took 22 wickets in the CPL to finish as the Player of the Tournament. There is star quick Fazalhaq Farooqi, who rocked them in the last bilateral ODI series between the two sides last year, picking up eight wickets in three games.
And Bangladesh will also do well to watch as much footage of 18-year-old offspinner AM Ghazanfar, who was among the wickets against South Africa and also did well in the emerging tournament.
Afghanistan Predicted Playing XI: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk.), Riaz Hassan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran.
Bangladesh :
Tanzid Hasan Tamim will open the innings for Bangladesh with Soumya Sarkar in the absence of Litton Das. In 15 games since the start of the last year, Tanzid has scored 263 runs at an average of 18.78. Sarkar will be returning to the squad after missing the last ODI. He has 244 runs in the last 6 innings with a century and a half-century.
Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto will come at number three. He is their leading run-scorer since 2023 with 1155 runs in 30 games at an average of 44.82. He has hit three centuries and eight half-centuries. He will be the batter to watch out for.
Towhid Hridoy will come in the middle with Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Hridoy has 848 runs in 26 innings since 2023 with seven half-centuries. On the other hand, Rahim has scored more than 1000 runs in the same period with an extra century. All-rounder Miraz has scored 575 runs with the bat in the last 25 innings. He has picked 27 wickets with the ball at an economy of 5.26.
Taskin Ahmed will lead the bowling unit with Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman. Islam is Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker since 2023 with 37 wickets in 22 games at an economy of 5.48. Ahmed will be the bowler to watch out for. He has 34 wickets in 20 innings at an economy of 4.86 – the lowest among the bowlers. Against Afghanistan, he has picked 20 wickets in 11 ODIs. Mustafizur Rahman has the lowest economy against Bangladesh picking 13 wickets in 11 games.
Form, availability and fitness issues have forced Bangladesh to make several changes to the ODI side that played in March, the last time they played the format. Shakib Al Hasan has reportedly opted out of the Afghanistan series, Litton Das is down with a fever, and Tanzim Hasan is out with a shoulder injury.
One of the players to get a look-in is Nahid Rana, with Zakir Hasan and Nasum Ahmed also coming in. With Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam also around, it’s a solid-looking fast-bowling attack. However, Nasum and Nahid are still awaiting their UAE visa, and are unavailable for the first ODI.
Rana was fast-tracked to the national team, and made a big impression when he played a major role in Bangladesh’s Test series victory in Pakistan in August. There have not been too many of them over the years – a proper Bangladeshi fast bowler. Sharjah might not be the best place to bowl fast, but Rana will be one to watch out for, especially to see how he goes in a new format.
Bangladesh Predicted Playing XI: Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Nazmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Vice Captain), Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
AFG vs BAN Fantasy XI : Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Sediq Ullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Rashid Khan, Shoriful Islam, Fazalhaq Farooqi
AFG vs BAN : Probable Top Performers of the Match
Probable Best Batter: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
The series against South Africa in September saw Gurbaz emerge as the leading run-scorer. Although he couldn’t convert his starts at the recently-concluded edition of the Caribbean Premier League, he looked at his attacking best. Afghanistan would be hoping that Gurbaz fires again and carries forward the momentum.
Probable Best Bowler: Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan may have been out of cricketing action for a month, but he is surely a force to reckon with. The sheer manner in which he blew apart the Proteas in the ODIs he featured in speaks volumes about his command.
AFG vs BAN : Match Prediction
Afghanistan has not lost an ODI series this year in the UAE. They have beaten the mighty South Africa 2-1 a few months before. In the UAE, Rashid has 53 wickets in 21 games at an average of 13.30. Though Bangladesh have three wins in the last three games against Afghanistan, they will be playing at the familiar pitches for Afghanistan. We predict that Afghanistan will defeat Bangladesh.
Scenario 1
Afghanistan win the toss and opt to bat first.
Powerplay: 45-55
Afghanistan: 270-290
Afghanistan win the match.
Scenario 2
Bangladesh win the toss and opt to bat first.
Powerplay: 30-40
Bangladesh: 245-265
Afghanistan win the match.