Bangladesh take on Afghanistan as Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bat first in their Asia Cup clash at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, September 3.
Bangladesh made three changes to their playing XI and brought in Shamim Hossain, Afif Hossain and Hasan Mahmud in place of Tanzid Hasan, Mahedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman.
“We will bat first. It looks a good wicket and keeping the weather in mind, it is very hot. We have three changes. We didn't execute with the bat and that was our downfall, but today is a new day and a good wicket, hopefully we put up a good score on the board,” Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan said after the toss.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said, “We would have batted first as well. Quite excited, we have a lot of crowd and supporters here. The preparation was quite good, we had a series against Pakistan and we have been here for the last one week. Two seam all rounders, one seamer, three spinners and rest of them are batters.”
Pitch Report
"This is generally a high scoring venue. But there might be something in it for the bowlers. The surface might get slower as the ball gets older and Afghanistan have three spinners which will be an advantage. The surface will be baked under the sun and should aid the spinners," Deep Dasgupta analysed the Gaddafi Stadium's pitch.
Head-to-Head
Bangladesh have an edge over Afghanistan in head-to-head ODI record. The two Asian teams have crossed paths 14 times in the 50-over format, with Bangladesh securing eight victories while Afghanistan have won six times.
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud.
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
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