Cricadium Staff 
The Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2018 began with a bang. While the 2 teams that won, India and Pakistan, will face off in Dubai, the 2 defeated teams will take part in the Bangladesh vs Afghanistan encounter. The Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi will play host to the 2nd clash of the tournament between the 2 sides.
Bangladesh began well by defeating Sri Lanka comprehensively in the opening match. But it’s been a tough road since for Mashrafe Mortaza and his men. They received a hammering by Afghanistan in the group stage. And then, India didn’t even give a sniff to them in the last game.
On the contrary, Asghar Afghan & co. are on a dream run. They crushed Sri Lanka and then became the group toppers by beating Bangladesh, In their previous game against Pakistan, they fought hard and bravely. The game could have been theirs if not for the heroics of Shoaib Malik in the final over.
It’s now even stevens in terms of the head to head encounters between the 2 nations. Both have won 3 games apiece against each other. Going by the current form, one would prefer to be in the Afghan camp right now. Bangladesh will have to emerge from the 2 defeats and do something special to achieve a win as another defeat would bring down the curtains for their chances.
Here is our prediction for the Bangladesh vs Afghanistan game
Case1: If Bangladesh bats first
First Innings score prediction: 220-230
Result prediction: Afghanistan will win the match by 3 wickets
Case2: If Afghanistan bats first
First Innings score prediction: 240-250
Result prediction: Afghanistan will win the match by 10-20 runs
Head to head in ODIs
Total ODIs: 6, Bangladesh won: 3, Afghanistan won: 3, No Result: 0
Team Compositions:
Bangladesh
The batsmen have had an awful time in the tournament so far. Apart from Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Mithun in the first game, no batsman has contributed a substantial score. The seniors like Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah need to stand up for the team in the time of crisis.
The bowlers haven’t been impressive either. They received a hammering at the hands of the Indian batsmen. It’s going to be difficult for them to recover in just 2 days time. If they are to remain in contention, the likes of Mustafizur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib need to put their hand up
Predicted XI
Nazmul Hossain, Liton Das (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman
Afghanistan
Traditionally, Afghanistan has been a side known for its bowling. But in this tournament, the batsmen have forced to turn the attention towards them. Ihsanullah Janat, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan and Hashmatullah Shahidi, all have played one or two good knocks. They have depth in the batting when you see Rashid Khan walking out to bat at No. 9.
When it comes to bowling, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid have been the standouts. Where Mujeeb draws blood with the new ball, Rashid picks up wickets in the middle overs. Rashid is a reliable bowler during the slog bowlers as well. Once again, these 2 will be in the spotlight and will determine whether Afghanistan stands a chance to make it to the final or not.
Precited XI
Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Ihsanullah Janat, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan (c), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
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