Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe: Bangladesh T20 Tri-Series Preview

Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe: Bangladesh T20 Tri-Series Preview

Match details: 

Series/tournament name: Bangladesh T20 Tri-Series

Venue: Chattogram

Date: 20 September, 2019

Time: 6:00 p.m. IST

Preview: 

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will face off in the match five of the Bangladesh T20 Tri-Series in Chattogram on Friday. The game has no importance as far as the tournament proceedings are concerned as the hosts and Rashid Khan-led unit have already secured a spot in the final of the competition. In the previous meeting between both teams earlier in the tournament, it was Afghanistan who came out on top with a 28-run margin. 

Weather report: There are high chances that the game is to be affected by rain.

Pitch report: Since the first match of the tournament, the pitch has proven to be a good one especially while batting first. However, with the rain forecast available for the evening, team who will win the toss would like to bowl first. 

Probable Playing XI: 

Afghanistan: 

Afghanistan is the most in-form team in the tournament, with two wins out of two, therefore, no major changes are expected in the playing XI. In the batting department, the team will be relying on the likes of Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Afghan to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of captain Khan, young leg-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and left-arm pacer Fareed Ahmad to produce timely breakthroughs. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Najeeb Tarakai, Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad

Match details: 

Series/tournament name: Bangladesh T20 Tri-Series

Venue: Chattogram

Date: 20 September, 2019

Time: 6:00 p.m. IST

Preview: 

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will face off in the match five of the Bangladesh T20 Tri-Series in Chattogram on Friday. The game has no importance as far as the tournament proceedings are concerned as the hosts and Rashid Khan-led unit have already secured a spot in the final of the competition. In the previous meeting between both teams earlier in the tournament, it was Afghanistan who came out on top with a 28-run margin. 

Weather report: There are high chances that the game is to be affected by rain.

Pitch report: Since the first match of the tournament, the pitch has proven to be a good one especially while batting first. However, with the rain forecast available for the evening, team who will win the toss would like to bowl first. 

Probable Playing XI: 

Afghanistan: 

Afghanistan is the most in-form team in the tournament, with two wins out of two, therefore, no major changes are expected in the playing XI. In the batting department, the team will be relying on the likes of Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Afghan to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of captain Khan, young leg-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and left-arm pacer Fareed Ahmad to produce timely breakthroughs. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Najeeb Tarakai, Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janatm, Rashid Khan (C), Fareed Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Zimbabwe: 

Zimbabwe are the only team in the competition who are yet to win a match, therefore, players will be eager to finish their campaign on a high with a positive result. In the batting department, the team will be relying on the likes of captain Hamilton Masakadza, Richmond Mutumbami, Ryan Burl and wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara to produce timely breakthroughs. 

Brendan Taylor (WK), Hamilton Masakadza (C), Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Richmond Mutumbami, Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Neville Madziva, Kyle Jarvis, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tendai Chatara

Top picks: 

Wicketkeeper: Brendan Taylor (10 Cr)

Brendan Taylor is one of the most experienced player in the Zimbabwe squad. However, the 33-year-old is having a pretty rough time with the bat in hand in the competition as he has only managed to score 33 runs in three innings. Taylor has represented Zimbabwe in 37 T20Is where he has scored 799 runs at an average of 24.96 and with a strike-rate of 120.87.

All-rounder: Mohammad Nabi (10 Cr)

Mohammad Nabi is one of the most senior member in the Afghanistan squad. The 34-year-old is having an excellent tournament, more so with the bat in hand where he has scored 122 runs in two innings after being just dismissed once. 

Batsman: Najibullah Zadran (9 Cr)

Najibullah Zadran is a permanent member of the Afghanistan team in the white-ball cricket. The 26-year-old is having a decent time in the competition where he has scored 74 runs in just two innings after being dismissed only once. 

Bowler: Rashid Khan (9.5 Cr)

Rashid Khan is being termed as the best bowler in the 20-over format. The right-arm leggie is in a very decent form during the ongoing competition as well where he already has four wickets to his name in two outings at a strike-rate of 12 and with an economy-rate of 6.50.

Captaincy options: Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Kyle Jarvis

Dream XI team: 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Azeem Siddiqui
Passionate sports follower in the field of sports journalism for more than five years. Loves writing about cricket, football, and tennis.
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