Afghanistan and Bangladesh will play their first match of the World Cup on 7 October, 2023. You will read about the live streaming, predictions, and match highlights. The highlights will be at the end of this blog. It will be a live blog for BAN vs AFG. So scroll till the end during the match.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup points table 2023
Afghanistan had the worst World Cup last time. They couldn’t even win a single match. This time, their plans have more experience. But the lineup is as fragile as it can get. They haven’t played more than 29 ODIs in the past 4 years.
Read: ICC World Cup Schedule 2023 PDF Download |Men’s one Day World Cup
Bangladesh, on the other hand, is as strong as it can get. They have shown their best performance in this decade. Their players have considerable experience, with Shakib being the team’s spearhead. They are as good as they can get. So who will win this match? Continue reading to find out.
Match details
Live streaming
Afghanistan cricket fans can enjoy the live streaming on ArianaTV. It is the same broadcaster that provided quality streams for the Asia Cup.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Live Streaming
In Afghanistan, you can also watch the live streaming from 9Now. But how can you do that? Dont worry, I will tell you a hack. Download a good VPN and then set your location to Australia. After that, download the 9Now application and enjoy the live streaming free of cost. However, you can also tune in to Facebook for pirated live streams.
If you are a Bangladeshi cricket fan, you can watch the AFG vs BAN match on the Toffee app.
AFG vs. BAN Predictions
It is prediction time. Who will win this match? Is it going to be Bangladesh? Or will Afghanistan turn its fate towards itself?
Afghanistan: Afghanistan squad for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023
Bangladesh: Bangladesh Squad for World Cup 2023 [Announced]
Key players
Let’s talk about the key players from both sides. Mehdi has been a menace to Afghanistan. He scored a ton against them in Asia Cup 2023 and has been showing phenomenal games as an all-rounder. But if we talk about a specialist bowler, Mustafizur is crucial with the new ball. His ability to seam and swing the ball can help Bangladesh get quick wickets. Shakib is Shakib. We all know he is their key player.
Rashid Khan’s role is very important. The way the pitches have been helpful to spinners means that Rashid Khan is the hottest commodity in the World Cup, and Afghanistan is very lucky to have him in their team. If he gets those wickets, Bangladesh will be in trouble. Gurbaz has shown talent with the bat numerous times in franchise cricket. Mohammad Nabi has the experience that you need in big tournaments like these.
Head-to-head
Afghanistan has the upper hand if we count the past five matches. However, this may not be enough to predict the outcome of this match. This year, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are 2-2 for ODI matches.
So, let’s jump to their recent performance.
Recent ODI performance
Bangladesh has just played a series against the Black Caps. They lost that series 2-0. They have a lot to look forward to and a lot of mistakes to cover.
Afghanistan couldn’t do much in the Asia Cup. They have lost all their ODI matches against Pakistan in their bilateral series. However, they have played against big teams, which should give them the practice they need for the bigger tournament.
Highlights – AFG v BAN Live blog
Here, you will read a live blog for this match. Let’s start with the toss
Toss
Bangladesh won the toss and chose to field first. So far, all the teams are going by the same strategy. The only difference is Pakistan winning the match and defending a total. Will Bangladesh tilt the balance here?
Playing 11
| AFGHANISTAN | BANGLADESH |
|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Litton Das |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Tanzid Hasan |
| Rahmat Shah | Najmul Hossain Shanto |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi | Mehidy Hasan Miraz |
| Mohammad Nabi | Shakib Al Hasan |
| Najibullah Zadran | Mushfiqur Rahim |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Towhid Hridoy |
| Rashid Khan | Mahmudullah |
| Mujeeb-ur-Rehman | Taskin Ahmad |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | Shoriful Islam |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Mustafizur Rahman |
First Innings – Afghanistan
| AFGHANISTAN 156-10 (37.2 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz 47 (62) | Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3-25 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai 22 (20) | Shakib Al Hasan 3-30 |
| Ibrahim Zadran 22 (25) | Shoriful Islam 2-34 |
| TARGET | 157 runs |
A good start
- Afghanistan had a pretty great start in the power play. Ibrahim Zadran and Gurbaz had a partnership of 47 runs in 50 deliveries. They were looking forward to inflicting even more damage on Bangladeshi bowlers. However, the skipper gets Ibrahim Zadran.
- Rahmat Shah and Gurbaz had a short partnership of 36 runs. But is that enough? The skipper strikes again, providing the breakthrough by taking the wicket of Rahmat Shah at 18 runs. Somehow, it felt like the balance was slightly tilting towards Afghanistan. Will we see their first win in two World Cups?
Fall of wickets – A turning point
- The skipper came on the pitch to rescue the boat. And mind it, the ship was struggling to sail. But Mehdiy Hasan Mirza got the man out. And the troubles didn’t end here. Mustafizur Rehman got Gurbaz out on the next over.
- Gurbaz got out after making 47 runs. It was a slower one, and Gurbaz got bamboozled. What a bowling from Mehdiy and Mustafizur. Perfect comeback from Bangladesh. Mohammad Nabi is on the crease to anchor the innings.
- The Bangladeshi Skipper, Shakib Al Hasan, didn’t let the opposition settle. He bowled Najibullah Zadran out. What a delivery it was. Half of the Afghanistan batting lineup is back in the dugout. Seems like Afghanistan will continue their horrible form in the World Cup.
No way back – Afghanistan in dismay
- The bowlers seem to be cutting through Afghanistan’s batting lineup like it was butter. The dangerous man, Mohammad Nabi, got clean bowled by Taskin Ahmad. The ball angled in, taking away the leg stump. Rashid Khan stepped in, and all hope was on him.
- No batsman could put up any resistance against the Bengal Tigers other than Azmatullah Omarzai, who got out on 22 runs. Bangladesh have a target of 157 runs to chase down. Only a miracle can save Afghanistan here.
Second innings – Bangladesh
| BANGLADESH 158-4 (34.4 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Najmul Hossain Shanto 59 (83) | Fazalhaq Farooqi 1-19 |
| Mehidy Hasan Miraz 57 (73) | Azmatullah Omarzai 1-9 |
| Shakib Al Hasan 14 (19) | Naveen-ul-Haq 1-31 |
| RESULT | Bangladesh won by 6 wickets at hand. |
- Bangladesh didn’t have a good start. The openers went cheap without scoring that many runs. However, Bangladesh won’t mind it for now, as Shanto and Mehidy were there for the rescue.
- The clinical innings from both batters added 97 runs in partnership. However, Mehidy fell prey to an acrobatic show from the fielder. That catch was something else. He’s probably a contender among the best yields in the World Cup so far.
- The rest of the batting lineup didn’t have to do much after that. They finished the game with six wickets at hand. Bangladesh outclassed their opponents today.
Man of the match
Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the man of the match award. We did tell you he is the man you should watch out for. He was lethal against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, and he was the menace to them in this match as well. What an all-round performance. He has earned the spotlight today.