Asia Cup: Bangladesh face trial by spin in do-or-die clash against Afghanistan

A faltering Bangladesh will face a stern trial by spin in their do-or-die Group B clash against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup here on Tuesday.

The Litton Das-led side opened their campaign on a bright note with a commanding win over Hong Kong, but their momentum came crashing down with a heavy defeat to Sri Lanka that left them third on the points table.

With Afghanistan (4.700) comfortably ahead on net run rate and Sri Lanka (2.595) occupying second place in Group B, Bangladesh (-0.650) must win their final match to stay alive in the tournament.

Their batting, however, remains a big concern.

Against Sri Lanka, the top order failed miserably before Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain salvaged the innings with an unbeaten 86-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Once again, the spotlight will be on skipper Litton Das, who struck a half-century against Hong Kong, to deliver runs at the top.

Waiting for them now is Afghanistan's potent spin attack of captain Rashid Khan, veteran Mohammad Nabi, left-arm sensation Noor Ahmad, and the emerging AM Ghazanfar, a combination tailor-made for prevailing conditions.

On the other hand, Afghanistan carry the confidence of a recent victory over Pakistan and two wins against UAE in the tri-series. They began their Asia Cup campaign with a 94-run thrashing of Hong Kong.

Not only do they possess a versatile bowling attack, their batting line-up also blends destructive power with classical poise. Such is their depth that they rotated half their side in a dead rubber against UAE before the tri-series final and still emerged victorious.

Teams:

Bangladesh: Litton Das (C, WK), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin.

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Allah Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Farid Malik, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.