Bangladesh and Afghanistan will play the third and the last One-day of the three-match series today at the Zahur Ahmed Stadium, Chottagram with different target when the hosts set their sights on completing the whitewash and the visitors’ objective is to have some solace with winning at least a match.
Bangladesh, though have already clinched the series with 2-0 win, completed the major portion of job to whitewash but the mission might be not too easy as the Afghan will desperately try to avoid the whitewash.
But winning the match is very much significant for Bangladesh to win the series by 3-0, considering the existing setting 10 points are important for all teams, as the series is part of the ICC ODI Super League.
Bangladesh, though have already reached on 100 points to lead the points table but not enough to confirm their room in the 2023 World Cup in India, as the Super League points are essential to make sure the target.
It would be more than tough for Bangladesh, even uphill task to win series in coming tour in South Africa
and next at home series against England, so it is a great opportunity and also within the reach of Bangladesh to earn 10 points from the Afghanistan to go in safe side.
Young all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, in view of all the circumstances said that despite winning the series, they is no way for gambling by taking the today’s match lightly.
“It is very much important to earn 10 points, no matter we won the series. As top eight teams will qualify for the World Cup,” Miraz said in a press meet in Chottagram on Sunday. “Its well we won the series. Our next target to grab 10 points with winning the third match.
Afghanistan, among last two matches could only threatened the Tigers at the early hour of Bangladesh innings in their first match when their pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi appeared as destroyer with taking four frontline batters to push Bangladesh into a deep trouble with reducing 46 for six wicket.
Rest of the innings was simply a fairytale conclusion when a memorable turndown of Afif Hossain and Mehdi Hassan Miraz at the seven wicket partnership scoring 174 runs which just salvaged the host to stun the Afghans with a four wickets victory.
In the second match, Tigers left no enough space for the Afghan team to generate any challenge, as, Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim pair did not give any chance to the bowlers to make threat and Bangladesh scored a mammoth 306 runs before bowled them out for 218.
However, today it might be a different ball game as Afghanistan would have already read the character of the wickets and surroundings, even they have every ability to bounce back.
But it depends on how their key performers, like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Mohammed Nabi and the danger man of first match pacer Fazal Farooqi.
Miraz also agreed that the Afghan ill not let Bangladesh with easy going, as he said, “There may a lot of big challenges would come. But I think if we will able to earn 10 points then the challenges will come would be easier for us.”
But Tigers are highly boosted up with their first match execution to get rid of from the immense trouble and just outplayed Afghanistan in the very next match. So, the Tigers how to exit from the danger, no matter, Rashid, Mujeeb, Farooqi, whoever will appear with their full of strengths.
Now all are eyeing to Tigers will play with full authority to make it easy to clinch the series by 3-0.
Ahead to start the series, captain and the key performers expressed in different occasions –press meet, after practice sessions that they wanted to progress match by match after leading the series by 2-0, now there is no option but only the objective to make it clean-sweep.
But it is also a big concern that captain Tamim Iqbal and all-rounder Shakib Al Hassan yet to blaze with their bats when the former scored only 12 runs playing 24 balls in the first match and eight in the second match. Shakib scored 20 from 36 balls in the first match and 10 in the second match.
In all respect Bangladesh will have to win the match to clinch the series by 3-0 to obtain 10 points to ensure their place in the 2023 World Cup.
‘Exciting talents here make my job half done’
BSS, Dhaka
Jamie Siddons, the new batting consultant of Bangladesh national team was excited to see a lot of talented players here, who, he thought, had already made his job already half done. Siddons who was the former head coach of Bangladesh said that the players just needed to have self-belief and the technique to thrive in the foreign conditions. According to him, Bangladesh are already a powerful team at home as they won 12 of the last 13 bilateral series since June, 2014 but the main challenge of the Tigers now would be to win matches at a broad in consistent basis.
“There are four or five six-foot tall fast bowlers who bowl 140-plus (kph). It is quite exciting to me. You still have the world's best allrounder (Shakib Al Hasan) who delivers nearly every day that he plays, whether with the bat or ball,” Siddons said on Saturday in his first interaction with the media after coming to Bangladesh as batting consultant.
He particularly singled out the names of Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Afif Hossain and Liton Das who were instrumental in Bangladesh's last two wins against Afghanistan.
Mehidy and Afif put on a record 174-run for the seventh wicket after Bangladesh reduced to 45-6 in the first ODI, chasing a target of 216. But their partnership helped Bangladesh win the game by four wickets from the jaws of defeat.
Liton in the second game struck a sublime 136 to guide Bangladesh to an 88-run win and take an unassailable 2-0 lead.
“I have already seen some young talent in the two games: Miraz, Afif and Litton. They are quality, classy and calm cricketers who will only get better. The more they play, the more times they will perform in big matches. These are pressure games for our boys. They had to win these games. The young players stood up which is great to see. The senior players we know will stand up at one point but they need the young players as well to help them out. That’s the exciting part.”
“My job is half done because the class of players is already there. When we go against South Africa, Australia and India, they have four of those. They got three quality spinners coming at them too, so there’s no respite. There’s no easy runs. That’s where we will be challenged. That's where we have to be improved, and be ready for it in their conditions. We have got a long way to go to get to that point, but we are a really good cricket team. We need to continue to do that. The young players just need to take that extra step so that they perform overseas all the time,” he said, disclosing the challenging factors for Bangladesh in the coming days.
According to Siddons, the senior players knew their role and performed on a regular basis and now it is up to junior players who make an impact everywhere. He believes that the players like Liton, Afif and others have the credentials to fulfill what Bangladesh want.
“I think the pressure is almost taken off me already, seeing the talent. They are already capable of performing in big matches. People like Litton have done it in Test matches. I see little things I can help him with. It is going to take time to put that last bit of class on him where he can succeed against every bowler, whether really fast bowlers or great spinners, in the world. It is my challenge to make him a little bit better. Tamim and those guys have reached a great level. Now we want the younger guys to even go further,” he revealed.
