Asia Cup 2022: BAN vs AFG- AFG Playing 11 vs BAN (Predicted), Match 03

Asia Cup 2022: BAN vs AFG- AFG Playing 11 vs BAN (Predicted), Match 03. Afghanistan will play against Bangladesh on 30th August, at 7:30 pm in the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Afghanistan brutalized Sri Lanka in the opening encounter to win the match by 8 wickets with nearly 10 overs remaining.

Their team has the capability to challenge any team in the T20 format and will look to win this match and seal their spot in the Super-4s comfortably.  Afghanistan gave a statement by winning their last match (Asia Cup 2022 opening fixture) as they were all over the Sri Lankan team.

Firstly their pace gun Fazalhaq Farooqi almost took a hat-trick and then the young gun Rahamanullah Gurbaz smashed 40 off 18 and led his side to victory. Bangladesh and Afghanistan have faced each other in 8 matches in T20Is. Out of these 8 games, Bangladesh has won 3 whereas Afghanistan has come out victorious on 5 occasions.

Afghanistan openers Hazaratullah Zazai (37 runs) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (40 runs) took on the opposition attack against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2022 opener scoring 83 runs in the small chase. They have a strong batting line-up with Najibullah Zadran, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mohammed Nabi, and Rashid Khan in their middle order.

Pace duo of Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-Ul-Haq ran through the opposition top order to claim 3 wickets inside the first 2 overs. Spinners Mujeeb ur Rehman, Mohammed Nabi, and Rashid Khan took control of the middle overs with combined figures of 12-0-50-4 in the match. They have a strong bowling attack in both pace and spin bowling combinations. Fazalhaq Farooqi was MOM for recording figures of 3/11 in 3.4 overs.

A thrilling all-around performance saw Afghanistan crush Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the first game of the Asia Cup 2022. The bowlers set the foundation, reducing Sri Lanka to 5 for 3, with Fazalhaq Farooqi responsible for most of the carnage.

Despite a brief resurgence in the middle thanks to a 44-run stand between Danushka Gunathilaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Afghanistan struck back hard, running through the lower order.

Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, and Mohammad Nabi were all among the wickets, and despite late resistance from Chamika Karunaratne, the 105 Sri Lanka managed was woefully inadequate. It took the Afghan openers just 10.1 overs to take it down; Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai racked up 83 runs in the Powerplay itself effectively ending the game as a contest right there.

Afghanistan 106 for 2 (Gurbaz 40*, Zazai 37, Hasaranga 1-19) beat Sri Lanka 105 all out (Rajapaksa 38, Farooqi 3-11, Nabi 2-14) by 8 wickets

Asia Cup 2022: BAN vs AFG- AFG Playing 11 vs BAN (Predicted), Match 03

Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Rahmanullah Gurbaz will be the preferred opener for the Asia Cup 2022 due to the promising start to his career in the international arena. The young player may quickly eliminate the opposition’s momentum and can produce strong starts while batting as the top-order batter in the opening slot.

He has scored 716 runs averaging 25.57 in 28 T20Is, having debuted in T20Is in 2019. He scored 40 runs off only 18 balls (strike rate of 222.22) against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2022 opener hitting 3 sixes and 4 fours before being bowled by Wanindu Hasaranga.

Hazratullah Zazai

Hazratullah Zazai is anticipated to start the batting lineup for Asia Cup 2022 alongside Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The 24-year-old would frequently use the aerial route and may occasionally play a big game.

Thus he might as well prove to be the team’s standout player. He has scored 904 runs in 29 T20Is averaging 34.77 which includes a ton. He scored 162* against Ireland in 2019, the 2nd highest T20I score after Australian Aaron Finch (172). He scored an unbeaten 37 off 28 balls in the Asia Cup 2022 opener against Sri Lanka.

Ibrahim Zadran

Ibrahim Zadran made his ODI debut for Afghanistan, against the West Indies, on 11 November 2019. He made his T20I debut for Afghanistan, also against the West Indies, on 14 November 2019. He has scored 120 runs in 9 T20Is averaging 15 and 154 runs in 5 ODIs averaging 38.5. He scored 15 off 13 balls in the Asia Cup 2022 opener against Lankans before being run out by Maheesh Theekshana.

Najibullah Zadran

Najibullah Zadran is among the most lethal T20 batters currently active, and he has a huge amount of expertise in the field. Najibullah Zadran can easily clear the ropes and will play a significant role in the fourth position.

He also has a good strike rate of 141.67 and a decent average of 33.09. He was in fine touch throughout the Ireland series and helped his team win a game with a 24-ball 50-run effort. In 79 T20Is, he has amassed 1489 runs and in 79 ODIs, he has amassed 1849 runs averaging 30.81. He scored 2 off as many balls in the Asia Cup 2022 opener against Sri Lanka and stayed unbeaten.

Karim Janat

Karim Janat made his T20I debut for Afghanistan against the United Arab Emirates on 14 December 2016. He scored 25 runs in the match and took 3 wickets. This all-around performance gave him his first man of the match award. He made his ODI debut for Afghanistan against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on 24 February 2017. The 24-year-old has scored 345 runs in 37 T20Is and picked 31 scalps averaging 28.52. He didn’t bat or bowl in the Asia Cup 2022 opener.

Mohammad Nabi

One of the finest all-rounders in the short-format game, Mohammad Nabi is highly potent with the bat and the ball. The 37-year-old is thrifty with the ball during the powerplay overs and has a strike rate of 141.21 in T20 Internationals.

It’ll be a huge responsibility on the skipper if Afghanistan wishes to move forward in the tournament. In 96 T20Is, he has scored 1631 runs averaging 22.65 and has also picked 82 scalps averaging 26.84. He has also played 3 Tests and 133 ODIs. He will lead the Afghanistan team in the Asia Cup 2022. He picked 2 scalps conceding only 14 runs in 4 overs in the Asia Cup 2022 opener against Sri Lanka.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan is now the strongest T20I spinner available, and he can win matches all by himself for his team. He has significantly improved as a batter and appears to be much more formidable as the game moves into its final overs.

He has been a force to reckon with in the T20I format, having 112 wickets from 67 games and averaging a mere 13.91 at an exemplary economy of only 6.17. He also has already taken 4 4-wicket and 2 5-wicket hauls in T20Is.

In 83 ODIs, he has amassed 158 scalps averaging 18.65 with 5 4-wicket and 4 5-wicket hauls at an outstanding economy of 4.17. He will lead the spin attack in the Asia Cup 2022. Although he didn’t pick a wicket, he conceded only 12 runs in 4 overs in the Asia Cup 2022 opener against Sri Lanka.

Fazalhaq Farooqi

Another rising star who has been spotted by numerous franchises worldwide is Fazalhaq Farooqi, a 21-year-old who already has established a name for himself in T20 Internationals. His numbers in the 20-over format are also decent as he has managed to scalp 15 wickets in 10 games averaging a mere 14.33.

He debuted in Abu Dhabi against Zimbabwe on March 2021. He was MOM in the Asia Cup 2022 opener against Sri Lanka, claiming 3/11 in only 3.4 overs. He picked vital scalps of Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka and Chamika Karunaratne.

Azmatullah Omarzai

Azmatullah Omarzai made his T20I debut on 3 March 2022, for Afghanistan against Bangladesh. The right-arm pacer made his ODI debut for Afghanistan, against Ireland, on 21 January 2021. He has picked 6 scalps in 11 T20Is and 4 scalps in 7 ODIs averaging above 35 in both the formats. He failed to pick a wicket in the Asia Cup 2022 opener against Sri Lanka conceding 20 runs in the solitary over.

The likes of teenager Noor Ahmad or more experienced Fareed Ahmad Malik can replace him in the T20I against Bangladesh.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Mujeeb Ur Rahman has not been as productive as he could have been at the beginning of his professional career, but he still manages to prevent the flow of runs. In terms of diversity, the mystery spinner offers a lot, and he will team up with the experienced Rashid Khan to form a strong spin partnership at the Asia Cup 2022.

He has picked 40 scalps in 29 T20Is averaging 16.48 at an economy of 6.22. He picked 2/24 in 4 overs in the Asia Cup 2022 opener against Sri Lanka.

Naveen Ul Haq

When fans talk about fast bowlers in the Afghanistan squad, Naveen-ul-Haq is regarded as the team’s future in that department, and he possesses all of the tricks up his sleeve to be successful. The 22-year-old youngster has been effective in T20Is, taking 26 wickets in 19 matches for an average of 18.23. He picked 1/23 in 3 overs in the Asia Cup 2022 opener against Sri Lanka.