Bangladesh vs Afghanistan – 2nd One-Day International Preview & Prediction
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THE FACTS
When is Bangladesh vs Afghanistan taking place? Saturday, July 8th, 2023 – 09:00 (UK)
Where is Bangladesh vs Afghanistan taking place? Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
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 Bangladesh by 17 runs (DLS)
THE LOWDOWN
BANGLADESH
Despite winning the one-off Test match with Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago, Bangladesh followed that up by starting the three-match One Day International series with a 17 run DLS defeat the other day. Immediately after that loss, captain Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect but just a couple of days later, the Bangladeshi legend has 'unretired' after a reported intervention from the Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. A middle order collapse, including underwhelming scores from Iqbal himself and Shakib Al Hasan, proved costly in that loss to the Afghans in the opening encounter.
AFGHANISTAN
With a Cricket World Cup around the corner, Afghanistan will be eyeing up a tilt at a top four finish and potential semi-final qualification in India later this year. They have remained an intimidating threat in T20 cricket but as they continue to mature, particularly with the bat, they have grown as a threat in the 50-over format, too. In their victory the other day, the exciting Ibrahim Zadran hit an unbeaten 41 as he and Rahmanullah Gurbaz put on 54 for the opening wicket. The spin options that Afghanistan possess will perhaps be the envy of pretty much every side in world cricket with Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman among the best in the world. Alongside Mohammad Nabi, they picked up five of the nine wickets that Bangladesh lost in 43 overs
THE PREDICTION
With no franchise leagues undermining team selection, both are able to field what they will believe is as close to their preferred side in their respective opening World Cup match in October - especially with Tamim's rapid u-turn on his retirement decision. They are two quite evenly matched sides, despite Afghanistan's relatively comfortable DLS victory the other day. What is perhaps a likely theme, and something a little easier to predict than the result of the second ODI, is a low-scoring affair. Bangladesh managed just 169 runs in 43 overs, whilst Afghanistan required 21.4 overs to reach 83. A bet on fewer than 450 runs in the match seems a good approach.
TIP: UNDER 450 MATCH RUNS
