Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton have returned to the team. Both were dropped out of the squad after the T20 World Cup.
Shakib Al Hasan also returns from injury. Munim Shahriar, a dynamic opener who impressed in the BPL, has been included and is set to make his debut.
Seniors Mohammad Shahzad, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, and Hashmatullah Shahidi have been dropped by the visitors. The squad includes Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Nijat Masood. Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran, being the most senior players, will lead the team.
Bangladesh have lost their past eight Twenty20 Internationals. This match will be an opportunity for them to break away from swayed luck.
Although Bangladesh won the ODI portion of the trip, it’s the shortest format where they’ve struck a snag and will want to refocus ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year.
Afghanistan has always had the upper hand when playing T20Is against Bangladesh. In the last 7 matches, Afghanistan has won 4 matches while Bangladesh managed to win 2 matches. The very recent match was abandoned.
They are playing a T20 match after 3 years. Afghanistan will fancy their chances because the record speaks of their dominance in T20Is against Bangladesh.
Bangladesh won the ODI series but in the last match, they received a heavy blow from Afghanistan. Especially, spinners Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan paved the way for Afghanistan’s victory.
Something similar is expected to take place in this match. Earlier last week, the big-hitting Rahmanullah Gurbaz notched his third ODI century. Gurbaz’s strike rate of 180.51 in the PSL this season adds to Afghanistan’s top-order firepower, which also features Hazratullah Zazai and newcomer Rasooli.
Bangladesh has lost their previous eight T20Is, and while Afghanistan did not win the T20 World Cup last year, everyone admits that they like T20s and have the personnel for it.
As it appears, Bangladesh doesn’t seem strong but they are a good side playing in their home conditions. On the other hand, Afghanistan is known for its T20 style of playing and if given chance, they will come on top as well.