Bangladesh vs Afghanistan – Only Test Match Preview & Prediction
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THE FACTS
When is Bangladesh vs Afghanistan taking place? Wednesday, June 14th-18th, 2023 – 05:00 (UK)
Where is Bangladesh vs Afghanistan taking place? Bangladesh vs Afghanistan will take place at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur
What channel is Bangladesh vs Afghanistan on? Bangladesh vs Afghanistan will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Bangladesh vs Afghanistan? Bangladesh vs Afghanistan can be streamed live on ICC.tv.
LAST MEETING
Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 224 runs
THE LOWDOWN
BANGLADESH
Bangladesh’s only previous Test against Afghanistan saw them heavily beaten, but this is a significantly stronger side now in 2023 and they come into this only Test full of confidence. The Tigers were last in red ball action against Ireland back in April, which saw them win by seven wickets and they’ll be hoping for similar success here. Litton Das will captain the hosts due to a finger injury to all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan which rules him out of this Test. Bowler Taskin Ahmed returns to the side after injury ruled him out of the victory over Ireland.
Whilst Bangladesh will play three ODIs and two T20i’s against Afghanistan, this represents the only Test between the two nations. Debuts could be handed out to either Shahadat Hossain and/or Musfik Hasan, both of whom are part of the 15-man squad. On a pitch which is likely to prove very susceptible to spin, a common occurrence in Mirpur, it would be no surprise to see three spin-bowlers within the Bangladesh side, although Shakib’s absence represents a blow in that department.
AFGHANISTAN
Unfortunately for Afghanistan, their six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first of a three-match ODI series at the start of June turned out to be a false dawn. Sri Lanka got their act together in the following two matches, comprehensively beating Afghanistan in both. The tourists now travel to Bangladesh in the next leg of this sub-continental tour. They have played once before in Test cricket against Bangladesh and defeated the Tigers by 224 runs in Chattogram back in 2019, spin-bowler star Rashid Khan taking 11 wickets across the piece. However, Rashid won’t be available for this Test as he has been rested.
Hashmatullah Shahidi, captain of Afghanistan in white ball cricket will skipper the side for this one-off Test, whilst all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai misses out through injury. Batter Karim Janat has been named in the squad and could be given the chance to play following some excellent domestic form with the bat. As is the case with Bangladesh, a couple of players have also earned their first international call-ups, those being Izharulhaq Naveed and Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai.
THE PREDICTION
Bangladesh are starting to make winning become somewhat of a habit for them in all forms of cricket over the past few months, which bodes well for them ahead of this Test match. Rashid Khan not playing has to be considered a big factor when matching up these two sides, especially on a pitch which would have likely suited his spin-bowling. Whilst the Tigers themselves are missing a key player in Shakib Al Hasan, they boast enough depth to cover for his absence, a testament as to how much stronger they as an all-round unit compared to recent years. On home turf as well, Bangladesh are worth backing to get the better of Afghanistan across this one-off Test.
TIP: BANGLADESH TO WIN
