Bangladesh lock horns with Afghanistan at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton on Monday in the thirty-first match of the ongoing Cricket World Cup. Mashrafe Mortaza’s men would certainly be looking ahead to completely outrun their Asian rivals.
Gulbadin Naib’s Afghanistan, however, also can’t be taken lightly as they demonstrated their potential against India at the same venue on Saturday.
The two teams come into this game on the back of thrashings at the hands of Australia and India respectively. Still, Bangladesh, by virtue of looking better on both paper and on the field by their recent form will start the match as the favourites.
Here are three players who can make the difference for Bangladesh against Afghanistan:
Shakib Al Hasan
Bangladesh’s main player Shakib Al Hasan is, without a doubt, the principal name on this list. Shakib has been in a phenomenal form this World Cup and will be eager about proceeding with his brilliant run and help Bangladesh keep their semi-final hopes alive. Having scores of 75, 64, 121, 124* and 41 in the competition, the veteran all-rounder is the man to watch out for.
Mustafizur Rahman
Bangladesh’s bowling performance will revolve around young Mustafizur Rahman. The left arm pacer has taken two three-wicket hauls this World Cup against South Africa and West Indies, both of which Bangladesh won- a testimony to his importance in the Bangladesh squad.
Rahman’s slower ball variations and ability to break partnerships have made him a popular name in the cricketing world and Bangladesh will rely on him on Monday at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton to pick up wickets at crucial moments.
Tamim Iqbal
The left-handed Bangladeshi opener Tamim Iqbal is another solid player who can win the match for his country against Afghanistan at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton on Monday. The southpaw is a brilliant batsman who can take the attack to the opposition without feeling the pressure of the match or the situation.
Tamim will come into this game on the back of a well made half-century against defending champions Australian at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Thursday.
Although he couldn’t save his team from facing the defeat in that game he will be pumped up to help his team to a win over Afghanistan.