Afghanistan will be watching the India-Australia clash with bated breath, hoping for a victory for the 'Men in Blue' – a result that would hand them a golden opportunity to qualify for the T20 World Cup semifinals when they face Bangladesh in their Super Eights match.
Afghanistan bolstered their chances of making their first-ever World Cup semifinal with a stunning victory over the mighty Australians on Saturday.
As the standings show, India leads the group, followed by Australia and Afghanistan, both tied on 2 points, with Bangladesh trailing behind.
Rohit Sharma and his squad are favourites to qualify for the final four, boasting a net run rate (NRR) of 2.425.
In comparison, Australia’s NRR stands at 0.223, while Afghanistan’s is at -0.650.
Afghanistan's star player Rashid Khan and his team are counting on an Indian victory over Australia, which would clarify their path to the semifinals by giving them a clearer target for their NRR against Bangladesh.
However, an Australian win would set a daunting task for Afghanistan to surpass the former champions on NRR.
Despite the challenging scenario, Afghanistan is brimming with confidence after avenging their ODI World Cup loss to Australia last year in Mumbai.
Regardless of the India-Australia outcome, Afghanistan remains optimistic about their chances against a demoralised Bangladesh, who seem content merely to have progressed to the Super Eights.
Afghanistan's ability to excel in the T20 format is well-established, and they have demonstrated that they are no longer a team solely dependent on their bowling prowess.
Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the tournament's leading run-scorer, and Ibrahim Zadran have dazzled with their sensational hitting. The Afghan squad is also thriving in the favorable conditions provided by Caribbean pitches, and their wealth of quality all-rounders has bolstered their campaign.
Afghanistan will face Bangladesh at the same venue where they secured their victory against Australia, with the spin-friendly conditions expected to play to their strengths.
Conversely, Bangladesh's morale is at an all-time low. Despite having a slim chance of progressing to the semifinals, consecutive defeats to Australia and India have shattered their confidence. "To be honest, I don't think we have a chance to play the semi-final anymore after this loss (against India)," admitted senior all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
Bangladesh's struggles with their batting lineup have been a recurring issue throughout the tournament.
The absence of power-hitters has been detrimental, and the underwhelming performances of openers Litton Das and Tanzid Khan have exacerbated their woes. However, players like Towid Hridoy and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain have shown promise.
The upcoming game against Afghanistan presents Bangladesh with an opportunity to end their campaign on a positive note.
"But having said that, the next game will be an opportunity for us to get a win on our belt before we finish up this tournament," Shakib said.
"We'd love to finish this tournament on a high. We have to face Afghanistan, which is a very good side. So, we have to be at our best to be able to win against them," he added.
Teams:
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Hazratullah Zazai, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik.
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Jaker Ali, Tanvir Islam, Shoriful Islam, Soumya Sarkar.
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