Bangladesh will field first after losing the toss in the third and final ODI against Afghanistan at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium, a match they desperately need to win to avoid a whitewash.
The Tigers have made four changes to their playing XI. Excluded are Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mustafizur Rahman. Coming into the side are Mohammad Naim, Shamim Patowary, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana.
From the previous match, Rahmat Shah has been ruled out due to a muscle injury in his leg, and in his place Ikram Alikhil has been added to the XI. Fast bowler Bashir Ahmed misses out, giving his spot to Bilal Sami.
In the first two matches of the series, Bangladesh’s batting failures have cost them dearly. In the first match, they made 221 but lost by 5 wickets. Their run scoring dried up, in fact, 169 dot balls were bowled in that match. In the second match, chasing 191, they were skittled out for just 109, largely undone by Rashid Khan’s spin magic. Alongside Rashid, Azmatullah Omarzai exploited the new ball to unsettle Bangladesh’s top order.
This year in the ODI format, Bangladesh’s record has been dire: in their last 12 matches, they have won only one — during their Sri Lanka tour earlier this year, a rare moment when they avoided a whitewash. In their preceding tour of the West Indies, they failed to win a single game in a three-match series. And yet, at the 2023 World Cup, they had entered among the top three in the ODI Super League.
Bangladesh XI
Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Naim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (captain), Shamim Patowary, Nurul Hasan (wicketkeeper), Tanvir Islam, Rishad Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana
Afghanistan XI
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Ikram Alikhil, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami
