Now it's time for the battle between 8th ranked Bangladesh and 9th ranked Afghanistan. The third ODI of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 will be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharmshala on October 7 from 10:30 am.
Bangladesh and Afghanistan are the teams in action in the third match of the 2023 Cricket World Cup on Saturday morning at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. Four years ago, at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Bangladesh finished the group stage in eighth place, four points behind the top four spots. Afghanistan come into this tournament looking to improve on their nine-game, nine-loss record from 2019. Read on as we preview this game. The game starts at 10:30 a.m. local time.
Bangladesh beat South Africa, West Indies and Afghanistan in the 2019 Cricket World Cup but go into this tournament with real hope of improving on that performance. They have more experience and more talent than the Afghan team.
Afghanistan's success in this tournament will rest largely on the shoulders of Rashid Khan and his other top players. They also have some consistent performances with the bat but this will be a difficult opening game of the tournament against Bangladesh.
Match Preview
Get ready for an exciting encounter as Bangladesh (BAN) takes on Afghanistan (AFG) in the third match of the 2023 Cricket World Cup at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. Bangladesh retains the upper hand in a direct duel with Afghanistan. In the last ODI encounter, Bangladesh secured a convincing victory, outscoring Afghanistan by 89 runs.
In their warm-up match against England, Bangladesh posted a total of 188 runs, losing nine wickets in 37 overs, with rain interruptions marring the game. Despite a spirited performance, England managed to reach the target of 197 runs in 24.1 overs. Mehidy Hasan's impressive 74-run knock and Mustafizur Rahman's impressive bowling that accounted for two wickets were standout performances for Bangladesh.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, come into this game with a significant warm-up win against Sri Lanka. Scoring an impressive 295 runs, Afghanistan managed to reach the target in 38 overs with four wickets in hand. Rahmanullah Gurbaz's sensational 119-run century played a crucial role in Afghanistan's triumph. Mohammad Nabi's four-wicket haul also proved crucial in breaking up Sri Lanka's batting line-up.
Pitch Report
The pitch at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium promises to be a batting paradise and will provide an opportunity for pacers to make their mark. The chase was the preferred strategy and added even more tension to the encounter.
Weather Report
There is no fear that this game will be interrupted by rain and temperatures are not expected to be too high with peaks of 25 degrees on Saturday. The humidity will increase as the game progresses and will be quite high at the end.
Toss Prediction
Three of the four ODIs played at this venue were won by the team chasing a target in the second innings. We assume that both captains will want to field first in this game.
Head to Head
Both teams have played 16 ODIs against each other so far. Bangladesh have a slight lead here with 9 wins compared to 6 for Afghanistan.
Match Prediction
Both teams come into this game and tournament with a genuine desire to improve on their poor results at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Both are comfortable in the Indian conditions and a win in this game would be a springboard for further success. We predict a close game but believe their greater experience and batting depth with top-class strike bowlers will be crucial in the Bangladesh team. We support Bangladesh to win this game.
Bangladesh to beat Afghanistan
Venue Details
The third ODI of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 will be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharmashala on October 7 from 10:30 am. The venue has a capacity of 23,000 spectators and has hosted 1 Test, 4 ODIs and 11 T20Is. In 2014, India recorded the highest total on the ground (330) against the West Indies. They also have the lowest total (112) in the same territory.
Betting Tips
Both teams go into this tournament as underdogs and we can expect a hard-fought duel. However, we believe that Bangladesh has an advantage here thanks to a more diverse team. The Afghans are a little lacking in pace and medium striking ability, and that will be a weak point in their armor.
On the other hand, in Bangladesh most of the bases are covered and Shakib's dynamic leadership is a big bonus.
Najmul Hossain Shanto – The 25-year-old has been given the additional responsibility of being the tournament’s vice-captain. He has increased his scoring and hitting percentages in this format over the course of the year.
Shakib Al Hasan – The captain has vast experience in international cricket but still retains the ability to single-handedly win a game with bat and ball. It should be able to rotate slightly and bounce off this surface.
Bangladesh Key Batsmen Statistics
Taskin Ahmed – The 28-year-old pace bowler is just 10 wickets away from reaching 100 in this format. He definitely has the ability to reach the milestone in this tournament and he will be difficult to beat on this course.
Shoriful Islam – The left-arm medium-pace bowler will be a new name to many in this Cricket World Cup. However, he has impressed at the international level and has a strike rate of 27.2 in ODIs.
Afghanistan Key Players
Ibrahim Zadran – The 21-year-old comes into the tournament with a good ODI reputation and his teammates will be expecting him to deliver against the big teams. He scored 75 points against Bangladesh in the 2023 Asia Cup.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz – The keeper-batsman has played a lot of international caps in the last few years and has made five centuries in just 26 innings in the format.
Rashid Khan – The right-arm spinner has many variations and is also a very useful big-hitting batsman in the order. He will give the ball a lot of flight and pose a threat to the best batsmen in the Bangladesh team.
Naveen-ul-Haq– The 24-year-old right-arm medium-pace bowler has a very strong white-ball record and has taken 14 wickets from just seven ODIs in his career.
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