Bangladesh need to desert their Test horrors to fare against the unforgiving Afghanistan at the latter’s makeshift home

It’s quite normal for a body to crash after an adrenaline rush, in order to bring things back to normal. Bangladesh have been going through the same transition lately. The adrenaline that pumped them to win the Test series 2-0 against Pakistan, wore off as soon as the winning jubilations started. Since then, a weakened Bangladesh have lost seven games, regardless of the format or opposition. But they could not afford to stay in bed, ‘recovering’ from their highs or lows as a mountain of challenges await them in Sharjah. The Champions Trophy is coming up in three months, Afghanistan are as unforgiving an opposition as they get, more than half of their squad was not even born the last time Bangladesh played an ODI in Sharjah, and to top all of it, the off-field vista remains ugly as ever. 

Afghanistan have not had a lot of cricket post-T20 World Cup, where they made it to their first ICC semi-final. Their first game after the World Cup, a non-WTC Test match, was washed out in a rare occurrence. In an even rarer occurrence, they defeated South Africa in the following ODI series. Although it was a younger Proteas side and it has been more than a month since that happened, the morale victories bring along, tend not to age much. 

Team Overview:  

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, in no uncertain words, told the management that he does not wish to lead the side anymore. This came amidst the uncertainty surrounding Shakib Al Hasan’s future in cricket and their coach Chandika Hathurusinghe’s sudden sacking. To complicate matters further, the Sharjah-bound squad is missing several key players including Litton Das, who is recovering from the fever that saw him miss the Chattogram Test against South Africa, and Tanzim Hasan who is out with a shoulder injury. As if their challenges were not already mounting, two of the three players called in place of Das, Shakib, and Hasan, are still awaiting their visas and will miss the first ODI. 

Afghanistan are also dealing with their fair share of injuries. Opening batter Ibrahim Zadran has been sidelined from the series to recover from his ankle surgery while the spinner Mujeeb ur Rehman is out with a phalanx strain in his right hand. To replace the pair, Sediqullah Atal, who was at the top of his game during the recent Emerging Teams Asia Cup, and Noor Ahmad have been included in the squad. Bilal Sami is the other uncapped added to the squad, however, he is likely to warm the bench in the opening game. 

Head-to-Head Matches:

Afghanistan have played 16 ODI games against Bangladesh. In these 16 games, Bangladesh were able to stand out in 10, while Afghanistan won the remaining six. 

Weather and Pitch Report:

Sharjah is Afghanistan’s home away from home. Its lack of moisture will help the Afghanistan spinners grasp the Bangladesh batters from the neck. The pacers can hope to make the most of the new ball early on. The toss-winning captain should opt to bat first as the surface will become exceedingly difficult to bat on later. 

Prediction:

Morale, home(-ish) advantage, and availability of most of their first-choice players make Afghanistan the favorites to bag the opening game. Bangladesh, though, are likely to put up a tough fight and could get a chance to outdo Afghanistan if they somehow get a decent total on the board. 

Where to Watch:

Afghanistan: RTA Sports, Etisalat (Live Streaming)
Bangladesh: Toffee
Pakistan: Tapmad
India: FanCode App, Eurosport