World Cup 2023, Match 3 | Afghanistan Predicted XI vs Bangladesh

image-lned5y6zAfghanistan will be facing Bangladesh in the 3rd Match of World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

The 2023 World Cup began with a bang when two World Cup debutants notched up centuries to derail the defending champions. We're still living in the first week of the mega-event and match 3 will see Afghanistan square off against Bangladesh in the HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala. This is the first doubleheader day in the coveted bonanza event and is slated to begin at 10:30 AM IST. 

Both sides have been a part of the Asia Cup event in recent times. While Bangladesh made it to the Super Fours, Afghanistan fell short by a bare margin. They fell just short of chasing a total within the stipulated overs due to a lack of knowledge about the calculations. 

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Bangladesh Tigers have had a good time in the warm-up games. They defeated Sri Lanka initially and but the second game against but lost to England in a rain-intervened encounter despite some valiant fight. Meanwhile, the Italians did not get their warm-up game against South Africa due to the showers but made a statement with a comprehensive win against the Lankan Lions in their latest assignment.


Both sides have a rich history of battling against each other and will look to kickstart the quadrennial event on a positive note. Let us have a quick look at the predicted XI of Afghanistan against Bangladesh.


Openers- Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran

Afghanistan has a settled top order where Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran open the batting. The young guns have been brilliant in the first powerplay and try to play the long innings. One of the examples to cite was the warm-up match against Sri Lanka where Gurbaz grafted his innings and switched gears following a ton.


Middle-Order- Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran

One half of the top-four of Afghanistan batting consists of their captain and vice-captain pair of Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi. The former touched a century in the Warm-up game against Sri Lanka and seemed to be in unreal touch. On the other hand, the skipper has been a stable base in the middle order and will cement in his position.

An interesting take in the middle order would be Najibullah Zadran who has been off colour for a while now. There should be no doubt about his potential and he has also won matches for the Atalans in the past. Najibullah got some batting time after Rahmat and Gurbaz retired themselves against Sri Lanka and walked through the chase.


All-rounders: Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai

Injuries have been a concern for Rashid Khan since the start of the calendar year 2023. However, he has taken time off from a couple of franchise league tournaments this season to focus on his fitness and be more available for his national team. The magician and the President (Nabi) are a crucial part of the team and would be the key throughout the game due to their three-dimensional skillset.

Joining them could be Azmatullah Omarzai who was given the nod ahead of Gulbadin Naib in the team. The pace-bowling all-rounder impressed all with his 3D capabilities. He can whack big sixes and one of them was vivid when Omarzai slogged a six to finish the chase against Sri Lanka recently.


Bowlers- Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi

The Afghan fans would be excited to watch the return of Naveen-ul-Haq into the set-up. He looked good with the new ball during the warm-up game and is likely to pair with Fazalhaq Farooqi in the beginning stages of the World Cup. They will be supported by the mystery of Mujeeb Ur Rahman who has the ability to bowl effectively with both hard and softer ball.

Afghanistan Predicted XI vs Bangladesh

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.