Who: Afghanistan vs Bangladesh
What: ICC T20 World Cup Super Eights Group 1
When: Monday, June 24, 8:30pm local time (00:30 GMT, June 25)
Where: Arnos Vale Cricket Ground, Kingstown, Saint Vincent
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live coverage begins at 20:30 GMT
Afghanistan go in to their last Super Eights game knowing a big win over Bangladesh in Saint Vincent could send them through to their first ICC T20 World Cup semifinals.
When Rashid Khan’s men step on the field on Monday night, they will know exactly what they need to do to achieve the historic feat as the India vs Australia game would have ended a few hours earlier.
Their coach Jonathan Trott believes the knowledge will come in handy in the crucial match.
“To know exactly what the scenario is and then what’s needed to win, that’s always a nice feeling,” he said after the win over Australia on Saturday night.
Afghanistan recorded an emotional 21-run win over Australia at the same venue two days ago, and they will be looking to repeat the result against a less fancied Bangladesh side, with a bigger margin.
This historic victory will be remembered for a long long time! 🙌👊🤩👏🔥#AfghanAtalan | #T20WorldCup | #AFGvAUS | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/cdvwLiyz0r
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) June 23, 2024
The men in blue have lost only two of their six matches in the tournament, while Bangladesh have lost three of their six across the group stage and Super Eights.
Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Fazalhaq Farooqi lead the tournament’s top run-scorers and wicket-takers’ charts, respectively.
Despite having their fate all but sealed after two losses in two Super Eight games, Bangladesh have vowed to take the fight to Afghanistan.
“In every single game of cricket that you play, you’re looking to compete and we absolutely will compete,” Bangladesh assistant coach Nic Pothas said after Saturday’s loss against India.
“We have had success against Afghanistan in the past so we are looking to finish the tournament on a high.”
How can Afghanistan qualify for the semifinals?
Should Australia lose to India, Afghanistan will simply need to win their last match. If Australia manage to beat India, a win with a healthy net run rate will be required for a semifinal berth.
A big win – with an approximate margin of 50 runs if batting first or chasing a target in five overs to spare if bowling first – is likely to send them through.
Pitch condition and toss
The pitch at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground has produced low-scoring thrillers by modern T20 scoring rates. Wickets have been evenly shared between pace and spin bowlers, depending on both teams’ strengths and weaknesses.
In the four matches played at this picturesque venue, all the captains winning the toss have sent the opposition in to bat. Interestingly, all toss-winning sides have ended up losing the match.
Weather forecast
The weather in Saint Vincent can have a role to play in the proceedings and is likely to disrupt the match. It is going to be a cloudy evening with some thunderstorms and scattered showers.
Eastward wind could affect the bowling and batting conditions as the stadium is located by the beautiful Caribbean coastline.
Head-to-head
It is a close head-to-head match-up between these two teams as Afghanistan have won six of the 11 T20 encounters and Bangladesh have won five.
Their last meeting in the format came in July 2023, when Bangladesh won a home T20 series 2-0, while their only T20 World Cup meeting came in March 2014, when Bangladesh cruised to a nine-wicket win in Mirpur.
Form guide
Afghanistan started the tournament brightly and full of confidence as they swept aside three of their four group-stage opponents.
Afghanistan: W L L W W
Bangladesh: L L W W W
Afghanistan team news
Afghanistan are expected to field the same side that brought them close to the semifinals.
Squad: Rashid Khan (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Hazratullah Zazai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik.
Bangladesh team news
Bangladesh could give a chance to Soumya Sarkar in what is likely to be their last match of the tournament.
Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Taskin Ahmed, Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanvir Islam, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
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