Bangladesh face Afghanistan in a must-win game

Bangladesh face an uphill task in their bid to reach the final of the tri-nation One Day International (ODI) series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with an in-form Afghanistan standing in their way.

Following a 99-run defeat to Zimbabwe in the opening match, Bangladesh are in a must-win situation as they take on Afghanistan in their final group-stage match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The match will begin at 5.30 PM, Bangladesh time.

A victory would keep Bangladesh in contention for a place in the final, but they would also need to negotiate the tricky net run-rate equation.

Afghanistan hold a strong advantage after registering a massive 158-run victory over Zimbabwe. Their commanding net run rate means they could still qualify for the final even if they lose to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh, however, could overtake Zimbabwe in the standings on net run rate if they manage to beat Afghanistan by a substantial margin.

Afghanistan currently top the standings with a net run rate of +3.160 after winning their only match. Zimbabwe are second at -0.590, having won one and lost one, while Bangladesh sit third at -1.980 following their opening defeat.

Recent head-to-head results suggest that overcoming Afghanistan won’t be a cake-walk for Bangladesh.

The two sides have met 22 times in ODIs, with both winning 11 matches. However, Afghanistan have dominated their last six encounters, winning five. All five victories came at UAE venues in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

Bangladesh lost a three-match ODI series in Sharjah 2-1 in 2024. Their struggles continued in 2025, when Afghanistan swept a three-match series in Abu Dhabi, including a humiliating 200-run defeat.

In that match, played on 14 October 2025, Bangladesh were bowled out for just 93 after Afghanistan posted 293-9.

One year and six days after that heavy defeat, Bangladesh will face Afghanistan again in the ODI format, hoping to reverse their fortunes.

The two teams also played a one-off Test earlier this month, which ended in a draw despite Afghanistan being in a difficult position. The result could provide Afghanistan with an additional psychological boost ahead of the ODI encounter.

Winning the toss, however, could prove crucial for Bangladesh. The Abu Dhabi surface generally becomes slower as the match progresses, making batting under lights in the second innings increasingly difficult.

The tournament’s last two matches have underlined the challenges teams face when batting second under lights.

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons has emphasised the importance of batting out the full 50 overs, saying greater awareness of the match situation could have changed the outcome against Zimbabwe.

“We lacked understanding of the situation, and making sure that when we got the three wickets, we hammer down and try and get another one quickly. Although, they batted really well,” Simmons said.

“But then when we batted, we just lacked the understanding of the situation and knowing that with a start like that, we just had to make sure we bat for the 50 overs and we’d have won the game,” he added.

Bangladesh have already suffered a setback with regular captain Liton Das ruled out of the entire tournament because of a hip injury.

However, allrounder Mehidy Hasan could return to the side after missing the opening match due to fever.

Squads

Bangladesh: Towhid Hridoy (captain), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Aliss Al Islam, Parvez Hossain Emon.

Afghanistan: Rahmat Shah (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Vice-Captain & WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohamamd Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyalai Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Yamin Ahmadzai.