Afghanistan vs Bangladesh T20I’s: 5 players to look forward to

Most of the cricket viewing public were completely captivated by the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the past two months or so. The tournament which brings together the best talents from across the globe proved to be an entertaining, fun and enjoyable experience.

Now it’s time for international cricket to take center stage. India will take part in the historic first test match of Afghanistan. It has been an exhilarating past twelve months for the Afghanistan side. Their elevation to test status is a huge achievement for their country’s growth as a cricket team.

Afghanistan also made it to the ICC World Cup 2019 by beating West Indies in the world cup qualifiers tournament finals. They are heading into this series against Bangladesh high on confidence.

In their adopted home ground at Dehradun, Bangladesh will be tested for sure. They can ‘not take this series for granted, although they also come into this T20I series after their heroics in the Niddahas trophy where they were denied the trophy courtesy of Dinesh Karthik’s brilliance.

Two exciting teams will face off in a three-match T20I series starting June 3rd, 2018. Here’s looking at 5 players to look forward to:

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Shakib Al Hasan

The Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan is among the finest all-rounders going around in all forms of the game currently, especially in T20’s. Lots will ride on his skill and experience when his team takes on Afghanistan.

He rotates his bowlers skillfully and was able to contribute well personally in Bangladesh’s successful Niddahas trophy campaign. With their main weapon Muztafizur Rahman out of the tournament due to injury, the onus on finding the right combination and managing his resources wisely will be the key.

Another challenge would be for him not to get too complacent considering this short series is played against a team ranked below them. Shakib Al Hasan will have some valuable information to share about Afghanistan’s biggest star Rashid Khan as they shared the dressing room for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL.

More than 1000 runs in 63 T20I’s along with 75 wickets at a fantastic economy rate of 6.98 exemplifies his strength and importance as a T20 player. Bangladesh will surely hope he performs well in this series.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan

Not many can forget the impact Rashid Khan has had in IPL 2018. Rashid Khan was the bowling spearhead of SRH in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and he embraced that responsibility. His bowling style is unique which makes it a little hard for batsmen who haven’t faced him earlier to attack him.

Not only does he control the game in the middle-overs, he can come in at the death overs as well and get the crucial wickets. Added to this is Rashid Khan’s natural athletic abilities, He is a fantastic fielder and holds on to most of the catches.

He has grown tremendously as a player in recent times. It’s a victory of sorts for the game to see someone from Afghanistan to perform so well and now become the #1 ranked bowler in T20s. He also featured as part of the ICC World XI team that played against West Indies recently.

Bangladesh would be aware of the threat of Rashid Khan and will be advised to play his overs out with less damage, if they fail to do so then they would be in serious trouble.

It will be certainly interesting to see how Rashid Khan fares in this T20I series in Indian conditions. Can he continue his good form? And Indian fans would be closely looking out as well as they will be up against him in a test match very soon.

Tamim Iqbal

Tamim Iqbal

The rock at the top of the batting order, Tamim Iqbal is a crucial cog in Bangladesh’s arsenal. His attacking, free-flowing batting coupled with his experience is a huge bonus.

He hasn’t been as consistent as would have liked to be. That’s the main reason many people don’t give him as much respect as he should get especially as a T20 player. Tamim would want to put those criticisms aside and deliver with the bat.

He is closely involved in the leadership side of things for his team along with Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. Bangladesh and Tamim Iqbal would want to carry forward the momentum from their last assignment, and Tamim Iqbal would want to start off the innings with a flourish.

As once he gets going, he builds a solid platform for his side to capitalize on and that can help them his side triumph over Afghanistan- a team full of confidence, wanting to put on a show.

Mohammad Shahzad

Mohammad Shahzad

The spritely wicketkeeper-batsman of the Afghanistan team adds a lot of firepower to their side. He goes after the bowling from the word go, thus helping his side to build a good, competitive total on most occasions.

Although he may not be the fittest wicket keepers going around in world cricket, Mohammad Shahzad is very effective behind the stumps. He also assists his skipper Asghar Stanikzai with regards to field settings.

He is also a character as he is very buoyant and chirpy and is fun to watch when the innings progresses. He plays with a refreshing attitude which makes him a real asset for any team to have. It would be great if he gets going with the bat as then this series can get close, real close.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Someone who offers a true mystery element to this series would be Afghanistan’s off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Cricket viewers across the globe just need to revisit the way in which he castled Virat Kohli with an unplayable delivery in the recently concluded IPL, to get to completely understand Mujib’s talent as a bowler.

His simple, easy-on-the-eye action is in many ways deceptive. As that camouflages the wide variety of deliveries he has up his sleeve. Batsmen will take time to pick his variations which goes in Afghanistan’s favor.

How well Bangladesh can cope against the spin duo of Rashid Khan- Mujib Ur Rehman will in many ways determine the outcome of this series. Mujeeb Ur Rahman missed the last part of IPL 2018 due to an injury. So he will be looking to get back and put on a show for people to remember.