World Cup 2023  Match 3 | Bangladesh Predicted XI vs Afghanistan

image-lnedodutBangladesh will face Afghanistan in the third match of the World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

Two Asian guns- Bangladesh and Afghanistan are set to take the field against one another in the third match of the 2023 World Cup to be held in the HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala. This is the first doubleheader of the marquee event and will mark the opener for both teams. Since this is the initial encounter of the day, the game is set to begin at 10:30 AM IST.

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Both teams have recently competed in the Asia Cup competition. Afghanistan just missed qualifying for the Super Fours while Bangladesh advanced. Due to their lack of understanding of the arithmetic, the Atalans came up just short of chasing a total within the specified overs. 

The warm-up games have been relatively pleasant for the Bangladesh Tigers. After initially defeating Sri Lanka, they fought valiantly against England in the second game but ultimately fell short. Afghanistan, meantime, were unable to compete in their warm-up encounter against South Africa because of the downpours, but they still made a statement by triumphing over the Lankan Lions in their most recent assignment.


Both teams have contested in more than five matches in the past couple of months and have a good understanding of the counterparts. It will be interesting to see who comes out on the top and open their winning account. Now let us have a quick look at the predicted playing XI of Bangladesh against Afghanistan.


Openers: Tanzim Tamim and Litton Das

There has been talks regarding Bangladesh's opening combo in the past few months but the team seems to be finding the right pair at the right time. Young Tanzim Tamim was backed ahead of Tamim Iqbal and he proved his mettle during the two warm-up games of the World Cup. He scored astounding fifties that may have cemented him a position at the top alongside experienced stroke-maker, Litton Kumar Das.


Middle Order: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim

The Tigers have found a new gem in their batting department in Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy. The former was splendid with the bat in hand during the start of Asia Cup 2023 before suffering an injury.  Despite the setback, his comeback was even better, garnering 271 runs in his last four ODI innings. Hridoy, on the other hand has played some vital knocks when the team was under pressure.

Mushfiqur Rahim is yet another middle-order batter who will be pivotal for the Bangladeshi team. He made his World Cup debut way back in 2007 and had vital contributions in toppling the Indian team full of legends then. His experience is something that comes priceless to the team.


All-rounders: Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz

From the all-rounders' point of view, Shakib and Miraz are two cricketers who are going to be indispensable with both the bat and the ball in hand. Shakib, being the leader is a sure shot starter while Miraz has earned the reputation of a flexible batter in recent times. Irrespective of the conditions, these are the two names that are going to play most of the games in the World Cup unless any mishaps.


Bowlers: Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman

Bangladesh pace bowling unit is a far evolved one under the coaching of the great Allan Donald. They have earned the ability to snap all the ten wickets in a match on a consistent basis even if their spinners have a bad day. Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam is likely to start with the new ball on this particular venue with Mustafizur Rahman taking care of things in the second and third powerplay. Also, it's worth noting that Rahman was excellent with the new ball in the recent warm-up games and during the late end of Asia Cup. 

The Bangladesh management backs Nasum Ahmed in the XI in subcontinents and henceforth, he should stare in the playing XI for the first match. The left-arm orthodox spinner has the ability to bowl with the hard new cherry and bowls in tight areas.


Bangladesh Predicted XI vs Afghanistan

Tanzim Tamim, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam