AFG vs BAN: 3rd T20I, Preview- Afghanistan eye clean sweep amidst Bangladesh’s strive for pride

The T20I series between Afghanistan and Bangladesh has already been sealed by the hosts at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Dehradun. Asghar Stanikzai’s men have been clinical throughout the series and managed to steamroll their opponents without muss fuss. The visitors, following a thumping defeat, had the chance to make amends, however, they couldn’t.

Rashid Khan, yet another time, turned out to be a bone in the flesh of Bangladesh’s batting lineup. More than the scalps, it was the timing of his wickets that hurt Shakib Al Hasan’s troops. They made a strong comeback during the Afghans’ run chase, but Mohammad Nabi’s blitz with the willow in the death overs carved the series victory for the hosts.

Shakib and Co. have been shaky, to say the least. Consequently, they have failed to get a lid on the opposition. The final match will be played on Thursday and it has no significance as far as the result of the series is concerned. Bangladesh only have the pride to play for as of now. On the contrary, a series whitewash will come as a massive boost for Afghanistan.

Team Combination

Afghanistan

They won’t want to make any changes and complete the clean sweep. Mohammad Shahzad and Usman Ghani remain to be their openers. Asghar Stanikzai hasn’t had much success and will be keen to get a decent score under his belt. Samiullah Shenwari and Shafiqullah Shafiq have delivered the goods thus far and will want to finish the series on a high.

Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran’s power-hitting prowess also need to come to the fore. In the bowling department, the onus will be on Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman to churn out the wickets. Shapoor Zadran has been amongst the wickets and has been their leading fast bowler. Karim Janat and Nabi haven’t been disappointing either.

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

Bangladesh

The visitors may stick to the same eleven for they don’t have many alternatives who can help the team turn their fortunes around. Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das are the opening batsmen followed by Soumya Sarkar. Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah, being the experienced campaigners, have to step up and arrest their team’s slump.

Sabbir Rahman hasn’t done anything of sorts and he will also look to gain back some form. The bowling lineup has been found wanting at different stages. Abu Hider Rony and Rubel Hossain will want to dictate terms to the swashbuckling batsmen. Nazmul Islam Apu bowled cleverly last time around and his role will be of prime importance if Bangladesh are to evade the embarrassment of a whitewash.

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

Players to watch out for

Mujeeb Ur Rahman- Afghanistan

Mujeeb has been economical in the two matches but hasn’t been able to get many wickets. He has conceded only 35 runs in the 8 overs, but only has a solitary wicket. Moreover, he went wicketless in the last match. The 17-year old spinner will be itching to bamboozle some batters with his guile and end the series in a grand style.

Shakib Al Hasan- Bangladesh

Shakib’s job will be to keep the morale of the team up after the losses. Though Bangladesh can’t win the series anymore, the skipper needs to motivate the team to stand tall and give the Afghans a run for their money. His own form has also been a matter of concern as he hasn’t been able to contribute much with either of bat and ball.

Head to Head

Played- 3, Afghanistan- 2, Bangladesh- 1

Stat Attack

47 – Rashid Khan is the leading wicket-taker in the Twenty20 format in 2018 with 47 wickets in 30 matches. He was the leading T20 wicket-taker in 2017 as well with 80 wickets in 56 games.

499 – Shakib Al Hasan needs one more wicket to complete 500 wickets in International cricket. He will be the 3rd player after Jacques Kallis and Shahid Afridi to get 10000 runs and 500 wickets in International cricket.

Broadcast details

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

Live Streaming– YouTube

Match Timings: 20:00 IST, 14:30 GMT

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