AFG vs BAN, 3rd T20I, Match Prediction: Who will win the match, Afghanistan or Bangladesh?

Who would’ve thought that the three-match series will come down to a dead rubber? Afghanistan for played so wonderfully and have caught the visitors off guard. They have proved their rankings above Bangladesh and will be looking to go for the kill in the third and final T20 International. The key to their success so far have been their ace players Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi while the other seniors have chipped in when required the most.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have failed to put their best foot forward. They messed up a decent start in the last game and still have no answers to the 19-year-old leg-spinner of the opposition. They will play this game for pride and would be looking to at least win a game on this tour. They had lost the practice game against Afghanistan A a few days ago. Moreover, they would be itching to avoid the ignominy of the whitewash on this tour.

Pitch and Conditions

As expected, the pitch was on the slower side in the 2nd T20I and there are chances that the strip might be changed for this encounter. If the game is played on the new pitch, then it will be full of runs but it is also expected to turn a bit much like the first game. The dew doesn’t seem to be an issue in Dehradun as the visitors also bowled well in the second innings and were on course with their plan until the 19th over.

Playing Combination

Afghanistan

Afghanistan would be tempted to make changes to their line-up but they have a great chance to whitewash Bangladesh. They might go in with the same team to create history. Usman Ghani and Mohammad Shahzad have been giving perfect starts to their team and the likes Samiullah Shenwari and Nabi have raised to the occasion so far. The bowling attack has done a good job by restricting the batsmen from scoring big runs. The spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid would be key players for them again.

Probable XI: Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Usman Ghani, Asghar Stanikzai (c), Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Shapoor Zadran

Bangladesh

More than the changes in the playing XI, Bangladesh needs to change their mindset while batting. They are not playing the fearless brand of cricket and the decision to tinker the batting line-up was not at all good. Their best batsman, Shakib Al Hasan, came out to bat at number 6 which is very low and Soumya Sarkar should also bat at 3. Someone has to dictate terms at the top of the order and unsettle the bowlers of Afghanistan. But will they?

Probable XI: Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nazmul Islam, Abu Hider Rony

Team Comparison

Afghanistan are clearly the favourites going into this game as well and are riding high on confidence. The bowlers are in a good space and the role of every player is well-defined. The spinners are doing extremely well even as the pacers are making sure that they are picking wickets despite going for a few runs. The batting order also looks settled and they will be looking to continue in the same vein and dent the hopes of Bangladesh to win a game on this tour.

The flaws in the Bangladesh squad have been exposed by the eighth-ranked T20I side. Their death bowling is a major worry and Rubel Hossain leaked 20 runs in the 19th over the other day which killed the game completely. All the hard work done in the middle overs went in vain. They will have to address the issue else it will be the same old story in the final game of the series as well.

Probable Top Performers

Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan), Soumya Sarkar (Bangladesh)

Head to Head

Matches – 3, Afghanistan – 2, Bangladesh – 1

The timing of the match: 08:00 pm IST

Broadcast Details

TV – Gazi TV (Bangladesh), 1 TV (Afghanistan)

You can watch the live streaming here

The prediction is for Afghanistan to win the game and whitewash the visitors historically.

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