Litton Das will lead Bangladesh in Shakib Al Hasan's absence [Source: Twitter]
Days after the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 finishes, Bangladesh will play host to Afghanistan in a one-off Test, which will be played at the iconic Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. This one-off match will not be part of the new WTC 2023-25 cycle.
This will be the second time that Bangladesh and Afghanistan will clash in a Test; they first met in 2019 at Chattogram. Afghanistan won the one-off encounter by 224 runs, where Rashid Khan claimed 11 wickets in the match.
Team Preview
Bangladesh
Bangladesh will be without regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan and will be led by Litton Das, who has been the nation's most consistent batter in the past year or so. The presence of Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mominul Haque makes things easier for Das, having experienced players around him.
Bangladesh have all boxes ticked heading into the one-off Test, with all their batters being among the runs, in their last home series against Ireland. Taskin Ahmed's return will bolster Bangladesh's pace attack, that have been groomed by Allan Donald lately.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan will be without their maverick player Rashid Khan, who has been rested. They will be led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, who will under his wings have an inexperienced side without the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq, and Mohammed Nabi.
This will be Afghanistan's first Test outing after March 2021. This match will give players like Rahmat Shah, Ibrahim Zadran, and Karim Janat to make a mark for themselves having been a permanent member of the side.
Afghanistan will look to exploit Bangladesh's weakness against wrist spinners and play both Izharulhaq Naweed and Jahir Khan.
Match Details
- Date and Time: 14 June, 9.30 AM IST
- Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka
- Live Streaming: FanCode
Pitch Report
The BCB have prepared a green track at Dhaka, in order for their pace-attack to break loose. They made the mistake of playing Afghanistan on a spin-friendly track the last time they played each other at Chattogram. However, the pitch could crumble as the game progress given the natural nature of the track.
Predicted Playing XIs
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Najmul Shanto, Mahmud Hasan Joy, Mominul Haque, Litton Das (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, and Shoriful Islam
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Bahir Shah, Rahmat Shah, Nasir Jamal, Afsar Zazai (wk), Karim Janat, Amir Hamza, Jahir Khan, Izharulhaq Naveed, Yamin Ahmadzai.
Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips
Wicket-Keeper: Mushfiqur Rahim
Batters: Najmul Shanto, Ibrahim Zadran, Mahmud Hasan Joy, Nasir Jamal
All-Rounders: Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ebadot Hossain
Bowlers: Taijul Islam, Yamin Ahmadzai, Karim Janat
Captain: Mushfiqur Rahim
Vice-Captain: Taijul Islam
Prediction
Given the current form Bangladesh Test team are in, they are clear favourites to win over Afghanistan.
 "Vishal Mehra")
