Bangladesh and Afghanistan are set to face off in the first T20 International of a two-match series at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Friday. After losing the ODI series 2-1, Bangladesh will be looking to make a strong comeback. The Afghans, led by Rashid Khan, will be hoping to continue their winning momentum. Shakib Al Hasan will take charge of the Bangladesh team in the shortest format.
BAN VS AFG 1ST T20I PLAYING XI
BANGLADESH PLAYING XI
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.
AFGHANISTAN PLAYING XI
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.
TOSS
Bangladesh opted to field.
It will be an intriguing battle between Bangladesh’s top-order batsmen and Afghanistan’s spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Bangladesh will also rely on their fiery pace trio to challenge the hard-hitting Afghan line-up.
BAN VS AFG 1ST T20I PREDICTED XI
BANGLADESH PREDICTED XI
Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Shamim Hossain, Najmul Hossain Shanto/Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud.
AFGHANISTAN PREDICTED XI
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik.
In the fantasy cricket segment, here’s the Dream11 team for the first T20I:
BAN VS AFG 1ST T20I DREAM11 TEAM
WICKETKEEPERS
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Litton Das
BATTERS
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Ibrahim Zadran
ALL-ROUNDERS
Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mohammad Nabi, Mehidy Hasan Miraz
BOWLERS
Rashid Khan (vc), Mustafizur Rahman, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Team Composition: BAN 5:6 AFG Credits Left: 8.5
This will be the first T20I held in Sylhet since December 2018, when Bangladesh suffered a defeat against West Indies. Bangladesh is yet to secure a victory in two T20Is at this venue. The pitch in Sylhet offers assistance to both pacers and spinners, with the former often getting more wickets.
SYLHET INTERNATIONAL CRICKET STADIUM STATS
Matches played: 8
Team batting first won: 2
Team batting second won: 6
Highest score: 210/4 (20)
Lowest score: 116/9 (20)
Average first innings score: 153
Average vs pace bowling: 24.03
Run rate vs pace bowling: 7.87
Average vs spin bowling: 26.78
Run rate vs spin bowling: 7.44
Here are the squads for both teams:
THE SQUADS
BANGLADESH
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Rishad Hossain.
AFGHANISTAN
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Shahzad, Ibrahim Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Sediqullah Atal, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Karim Janat, Nijat Masood, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, Wafadar Momand.
If you’re wondering when and where to watch the first T20I between Bangladesh and Afghanistan, please note that it will not be televised live in India. However, you can catch the action live on the FanCode app and website at 5:30 PM IST.
