Photo: Firoz Ahmed
With the format moving to the shortest one, the challenge for Bangladesh gets even more intense as the home side take on Afghanistan in the first of the two-match T20I series at the picturesque Sylhet International Cricket Stadium today, scheduled to begin at 6pm local time.
Despite a 2-1 series defeat in ODIs, a win in the third game was more than a consolation one for Bangladesh. On and off the field, it gave some much-needed momentum to the wounded Tigers after the retirement saga of Tamim Iqbal had hogged all the limelight.
Under T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan, the hosts looked charged up and were seen enjoying themselves during the training session ahead of the series opener yesterday.
The Afghan spin-threat led by skipper Rashid Khan alongside Mujeeb Ur Rahman will once again test the Tigers. It will be interesting to see how Shakib and his troops are able to tackle it this time around.
Afghanistan are well-ahead of the Tigers in terms of win percentage in the 20-over format. The visitors have won six out of the nine outings so far. For Bangladesh, however, it will be a new beginning.
Of late, the Tigers have shown vast improvements in the shortest format. Their 3-0 win over the world champions England earlier this year, followed by a series win over Ireland, certainly provided ample confidence to the hosts.
The Sylhet pitch is expected to play a crucial role as head coach Chandika Hathurusingha was seen having a long discussion with head curator Gamini De Silva during the training session yesterday.
It is expected that Bangladesh will go with three pacers — Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Hasan Mahmud — in the line-up. However, left-arm quick Shoriful Islam — who registered his career-best figures in the third ODI — has emerged as a worthy candidate to make it into the playing eleven.
While Shakib and Mehedi Hasan Miraz are expected to look after the spin department, the team management has the luxury to include an extra batter.
Meanwhile, there was light drizzle in Sylhet yesterday and, with rain in today’s forecast as well, the game might see some interruptions.
