ICC World Cup 2019 Match 31, Afghanistan v Bangladesh: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

It took Afghanistan five defeats in a row to finally come out of their shells and give India, one of the tournament favourites, a scare in Southampton. Afghanistan fell short by 11 runs, but showed that in helpful conditions they have a spin-bowling attack that can restrict strong batting line-ups. That their next match against Bangladesh on Monday, June 24, is also in Southampton should help boost their confidence and the Afghans will back themselves to register their first win in the tournament against a team they have played a lot of white-ball cricket in the past.

Mohammad Nabi (52 and 2/33) was Afghanistan’s star with bat and ball against India and was helped along by economical spells by Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, but the batting collapse the team endured, slipping from 106/2 to 213 all out, should be cause for concern. Gulbadin Naib, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Najibullah Zadran all got starts but none of them could carry on to build an innings. That Bangladesh’s bowling attack isn’t as strong as India’s should help alleviate some of Afghanistan’s problems with the bat in a tournament where they have batted out 50 overs only once in six attempts.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have issues with their bowling. They have conceded totals in excess of 300 on three occasions – against South Africa, England and Australia – and have lost two of those three games. Their last outing, against Australia, was particularly hard on the bowlers as David Warner’s 166 helped Australia to 381 runs. Bangladesh got 333 in reply, but they were always catching up with the Australian total, pegged back as they were by wickets and slow scoring rates.

Barring Mehidy Hasan, no other bowler conceded at less than 7 runs per over, but against Afghanistan the Bangladeshi bowlers have a chance to make amends and prepare for the tough games against Pakistan and India that lie ahead. Bangladesh need to win all three of their games from here to stand a chance for a semi-final berth. To their advantage, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim are in top form.

Head to head

Bangladesh narrowly lead Afghanistan 4-3 in ODI head-to-head tally. One of the three wins for Afghanistan came in the Asia Cup last year, where the Afghans trumped by 136 runs. Bangladesh got one back in the same tournament, though, beating Afghanistan to reach the final. The two teams also clashed in the 2015 World Cup where Bangladesh emerged victorious by 105 runs. That remains their only World Cup clash.

Key players

Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan): The man who almost brought the mighty Indians to the brink of a defeat holds the key for Afghanistan in this match. His ability to bat for long periods and provide crucial breakthroughs makes him an asset in the playing XI.

Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh): He is having a World Cup to remember and was leading the scorers’ charts until recently. Two centuries and two half centuries in the tournament so far have made him a player to watch out for, and for other teams to be wary of.

Likely XIs

Afghanistan: Hazaratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib (c), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Ikram Ali (wk), Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Shabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin.

Prediction

In-form Bangladesh batsmen carry their team to victory.