Bangladesh may not be one of the strongest teams in world cricket, but when they play at home, they have given teams a run for their money, and also defeated some big nations. They continued their dominance in the first ODI against Afghanistan, but they were tested by the visitors.
Bangladesh won the match by just seven runs. They will be keen to play better cricket against Afghanistan in the second ODI at Shere Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday. They looked good in the first ODI, with their batsmen putting up a decent total of 265 runs, which could have been much more had their lower middle order batsmen shone with the bat.
The hosts will come into this second ODI with immense confidence, with players like Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan scoring runs. If these batsmen get their A game going in the second match of the series as well, Afghanistan will have a tough time on the field on Wednesday.
Bangladesh will have their eyes on the major landmark, as victory in the second ODI will mark their 100th ODI win.
"Someone would have been the captain, but it is going to be a big achievement. We will try to make sure that we can achieve it in the second ODI but for that we have to play a better game," ESPN Cricinfo quoted skipper Mashrafe Mortaza as saying.
Their batsmen and bowlers have delivered the goods during the first ODI, but Bangladesh looked below par in the field. They dropped a few catches, and Mortaza wants more agility in the field from his players, and latch on to each and every catch.
"It is not right to give poor fielding as an excuse. Fielding is such a thing that it has to come from the inside in order to improve. I hope we improve in the second game. I think our body language was also not right, which made it harder," Mortaza said.
Looking back at the first ODI, did Afghanistan deserve to lose? The Afghans did put up a decent show. Chasing 265 runs, their batsmen did what was asked from they, with Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi both scoring wonderful half-centuries.
After their dismissal, Afghanistan lower order could not score runs, and lost wickets at regular intervals, which lead to their downfall. They need all their players to play an important role in the second ODI if they are to draw the series level, and take it to the decider in the third ODI.
Afghanistan cricket fans will be pleased if their top order batsmen including Mohammad Shahzad can stay longer at the batting crease as he can create havoc with his willow. The right-hander has the ability to play a match-winning knock, which will be needed against Bangladesh in the second ODI.
Watch Bangladesh vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI live
Bangladesh vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI is scheduled for 2:30 pm local time (2 pm IST, 1 pm Afghanistan). Live TV and streaming options can be found below. Unfortunately, there is no live TV coverage in India.
Bangladesh: TV: Gazi TV and BTV. Live Streaming: Gazi TV Online
US: TV: Willow Tv. Live streaming: Willow Online
Middle East and North Africa: TV: OSN Cricket.
