Pressure mounting on Bangladesh

A sensational performance by Afghanistan national team saw them crush Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the Asia Cup 2022 opener at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday.

Such a performance seems to have increased the pressure on the Bangladesh national team even before they have gone out on the field as the Tigers have come into the tournament on the back of some dismal displays in T20Is. With only a couple of wins in their last 15 T20I outings (one against Afghanistan at home and the other in Zimbabwe), the Tigers have to play out of their skin to get past a flying Afghan side and then a tricky fixture against the Sri Lankans, whose backs are against the wall following the heavy defeat on Saturday.

Bangladesh play their first match against Afghanistan at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

While the experienced spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi have spun webs around the opposition batsman, on Saturday however, it was their pace attack who got the party going as they dismantled the Sri Lankan top-order to disallow any kind of momentum.

Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi swung it viciously as he dismissed Kusal Mendis with an in-swinger to the right-hander, and trapped left-hander Charith Asalanka with yet another swooping in-swinger, while Naveen-ul-Haq got Pathum Nissanka.

The pacers in tandem with the stellar spin trio can be a cause of concern for the Bangladeshi batters. While the spin is always the spearing threat, this time around, it seems that the Afghan pacers are more than prepared to pull their weight, and as for Bangladesh, their vulnerabilities at the top can be a serious opening for the Afghan pacers.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be going with all-guns-blazing against Bangladesh. But Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka already deemed that their encounter against Bangladesh would be an easier one saying that the Tigers do not have several world-class bowlers like Afghanistan at their disposal.

“The bowling attack of Afghanistan is world-class but when it comes to Bangladesh, we know that Fizz is a very good bowler, and Shakib is world-class. Apart from that, they don’t have world-class bowlers in their line-up,” he said. I think compared to Afghanistan, Bangladesh will be an easier game,” he said.

“We have been playing a lot of cricket against Bangladesh, we know their exact plans. It will play a major role in the next game, so it will be a lot easier knowing their plans and players,” he added.