INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Bangladesh and Afghanistan&s chances of reaching the final four of the ICC Men&s Cricket World Cup 2023 could well hinge on the outcome of
their opening match today, Saturday October 7.Only qualifiers Netherlands are ranked lower in the men&s ODI rankings than Bangladesh and
Afghanistan, meaning both of these teams will need a string of upsets in order to reach the semi-finals.But both teams have plenty of talent
and are capable of troubling the world&s best, particularly in conditions that play to their strengths, which will be the case in some of
the venues at this tournament.Victory in Dharamsala for either side would boost those semi-final chances, but conditions may not favour the
Afghanistan have three of the top ten in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, all of whom are spinners, while Bangladesh&s Shakib Al
Hasan remains one of the best in the world.Yet history suggests that spin goes the distance in Dharamsala, with short boundaries and high
altitude meaning that quick bowlers have had more wicket-taking impact at the ground.Squads:Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c),
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid
Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.Bangladesh squad: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Kumer Das,
Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Shak
Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.Key PlayersBangladesh & Shakib Al
Hasan
Evergreen skipper Shakib Al Hasan continues to re-write the record books on the eve of his fifth World Cup
with the Bangladesh star still holding on to the No.1 ranking in the category for ODI all-rounders.Shakib has previously appeared at the
2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions and amazingly held on to the No.1 ODI all-rounder ranking at the start of every tournament since his
second appearance in 2011.The veteran is also Bangladesh&s highest-ranked bowler at 17, while Mushfiqur Rahim has their best ranking for
batters at 21.
Afghanistan & Rashid Khan
Afghanistan have two players inside the top three in the ODI rankings category, with former captain
Mohammad Nabi leading the way as the No.2 ranked all-rounder.Spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is third in the ODI bowler rankings, while fellow
tweaker Rashid Khan (fourth) is not far behind in this category and is widely regarded as one of the best white-ball players in the world
game, thanks largely to his efforts in the shorter format, and will be key to his team&s chances.Ariana Television Network official
broadcasting partnerIf you haven&t already tuned in to watch today&s match, there&s still time to do so.Bangladesh won the toss and opted to
bowl first.Ariana Television will broadcast matches live, daily, so be sure not to miss out on this thrilling event.Afghanistan&s fixtures
are as follows?
• Afghanistan vs Bangladesh: Saturday, October 7, 2023, Dharamsala
• Afghanistan vs India: Wednesday, October 11, 2023,
Delhi
• Afghanistan vs England: Saturday, October 14, 2023, Delhi
• Afghanistan vs New Zealand: Wednesday, October 18, 2023, Chennai
•
Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Monday, October 23, 2023, Chennai
• Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka: Monday, October 30, 2023, Pune
• Afghanistan vs
Netherlands: Friday, November 3, 2023, Lucknow
• Afghanistan vs Australia: Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Mumbai
• Afghanistan vs South
Africa: Friday, November 10, 2023, AhmedabadThe post Afghanistan and Bangladesh eye early win to kickstart World Cup campaign first appeared
