Asia Cup 2018: Match 6, BAN vs AFG - Afghanistan Predicted XI

The biggest strength of Afghanistan is the incredible spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

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Rashid Khan
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Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The group stage encounters of Asia Cup 2018 will come to an end in Abu Dhabi after the game between Bangladesh and Afghanistan on Thursday. In a bid to win the subcontinental crown, both these sides have done their chances a world of good with a scintillating victory over Sri Lanka.

This game was supposed to hold some importance so as to decide who will top the group and accordingly, teams will be assigned their Super Four schedules. But the Asian Cricket Council shocked everyone by assigning Group B winners’ position to Afghanistan and second position to Bangladesh, eventually announcing the schedule for the tournament.

This didn’t go down well with Bangladeshi skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, who clearly was miffed with Afghanistan getting pre-assigned with the winners tag for the group. The ACC will make no changes in the schedule now and henceforth, this game will not be holding an awful lot of importance in the context of the title chase.

Openers (Mohammad Shahzad, Ihsanullah Janat)

The very audacious and experienced Mohammad Shahzad is a key member of the side. He has the ability to give the team a quickfire start, which can do wonders on tracks like these which are slightly on the slower side.

Ihsanullah Janat will be keen to build another decent inning, just the way he did in the game against Sri Lanka. He looked composed and relaxed in his 65-ball 45. If the right-hander can get going again, Shahzad will have more freedom at the top.

Middle-Order (Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan (C), Hasmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran)

Rahmat Shah chipped in with a brilliant knock in the first match and will be keen to deliver another one in this game. Skipper Asghar Afghan will also be keen to get amongst the runs, which he failed to do in his previous outing.

Following these two gentlemen in the middle order will be Hasmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran. Bangladesh might not be very aware of Shahidi, but Najibullah has been around for a while and is an experienced candidate on whom the side can bank on.

All-Rounders (Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib)

One of the best T20 all-rounders in the world, Mohammad Nabi has been an integral part of the Afghan side that has grown drastically over the last five years. He’s a crucial member of the unit and fans will always be expecting a good show from him with the bat and ball.

Gulbadi Naib failed to do anything significant with the bat, but with the ball in hand, he was spectacular. He registered figures of 2/29 in eight overs which played a big role in containing the Lankan batting lineup in the early middle overs.

Bowlers (Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan)

The biggest strength of Afghanistan is the incredible spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Not many are finding it easy to pick these two and to face their 20 overs can be the determining factor in the end.

Aftab Alam with the new ball seemed pretty ineffective against the Lankans. He extracts good pace and bounce usually, but with the pitch being on the slower side, he struggled a bit to settle into these conditions. The 25-year-old will be eager to find some form before the Super Four round commences.

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