Bangladesh captain Tawhid Hridoy won the toss and chose to bat first against Afghanistan in the third match of the ODI tri-series at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
The Tigers need to win by at least 41 runs to reach the final, where Zimbabwe await them.
Bangladesh made several changes to their playing XI for the important match. Mystery spinner Aliss Al Islam earned his ODI debut, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz returned to the side.
Parvez Hossain Emon also came into the team. Rishad Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain and Nurul Hasan Sohan missed out.
Hridoy continued to lead the side as regular captain Litton Das remains out of the tournament with a hip injury.
Bangladesh started the series with a 99-run defeat against Zimbabwe. Afghanistan then beat Zimbabwe by 158 runs to put themselves in a strong position.
Bangladesh now face a difficult challenge. They must not only beat Afghanistan but also secure a big enough victory to move ahead of Zimbabwe on net run rate.
The winner of the qualification battle fulfilling the equations will face Zimbabwe in the final on Friday.
