Bangladesh cricket Team. (Photo Source: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

Afghanistan will be taking on Bangladesh in the last Super Eights match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. The match will have a massive outcome on the qualification scenario of Group 1. Bangladesh have lost both their matches in the Super Eights stage, and are already out of the competition. They met two of the best teams in the world, India and Australia. The Asian side suffered massive losses in both matches and had a slim chance to make it to the semifinals.

On the other hand, Afghanistan shook the world with a historic win over Australia. The Afghans now have a win and a loss in two matches. A massive win against Bangladesh would confirm a Knockouts spot for them. That promises to be a good game between the two sides. Meanwhile, the Bangla Tigers need to be at their best and beat Afghanistan to end their tournament on a high.

Here is the strongest possible playing XI of Bangladesh for the 52nd match of the T20 World Cup 2024 against Afghanistan:

Openers – Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das (WK)

Bangladesh don’t have a good set of openers, as the pair of Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das has failed to fire on most occasions. It will be a big concern for them ahead of the upcoming clash. On top of that, they do not have batters who can win matches for them on their own might against the best teams in the world. The openers have not fired as well as they would have liked.

Despite being supremely talented, Tanzid has not been able to make any significant impact as a batter so far. Against Afghanistan, he must be hopeful of delivering a satisfying performance on an individual front. His partner, Litton Das, was in great form in 2022, but has failed to fire this time round. As a wicketkeeper, he is doing a decent job, which unfortunately, isn’t enough for someone who plays the opener’s role.

Middle Order – Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali

In the middle order, Bangladesh haven’t been able to find a dependable batter. Against the top teams, they have none of the middle-order batters played as a unit. The skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has himself not made a noteworthy contribution, which is a concerning thing. Towhid Hridoy has been the only batter to have played some good knocks for Bangladesh.

Lower down the order, the likes of Mahmudullah and Jaker Ali have not lived up to their expectations, and haven’t been able to perform the finisher duties well. The middle-order will need to step up and help the team bid goodbye to the tournament on a positive front.

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All-rounders – Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, and Rishad Hossain

The most experienced player in Bangladeshi line-up is Shakib Al Hasan. The star all-rounder will be the most key player for his team in the Afghanistan game. Ability to contribute with the bat and the ball, Shakib will have a huge role to play in the upcoming encounter.

Rishad Hossain, on the other hand, has been the biggest positive for Bangladesh in the tournament so far. The leg-spinner went for runs against India but bowled well against other teams. He probably needs to work a bit on his line and length. As a batter, he has finished matches decently, with some handy cameos lower down the order, and will try to replicate the same against Afghanistan.

Bowlers – Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Mustafizur Rahman

It won’t be wrong to say that Bangladesh qualified to the Super Eights courtesy of their bowlers. The Bangla pacers have been at their very best with Tanzim Hasan Sakib leading the wickets chart for them, tallying 11 scalps in the tournament so far. Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed have also been economical, while claiming some crucial wickets.

Check Here: Most Wickets T20 World Cup 2024

Although Taskin didn’t feature in the clash against India, he is expected to be announced for the upcoming game. Apart from him, Mahedi Hasan is a name in the list that cannot be missed out. He will be playing an important role of bowling in the middle overs, as the spin is likely to cause troubles to Afghanistan’s batters.

Bangladesh’s strongest playing XI against Afghanistan — Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das (WK), Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman