Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

Ban T20 Tri-Series Match 2: AFG vs ZIM Preview Dream11 & MyTeam11 Prediction. Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe Preview Dream11 & MyTeam11

Heartbreak continues to follow Zimbabwe. In what has been a tough year, Hamilton Masakadza’s team squandered a great opportunity to begin the Bangladesh T20I Tri-Series with a win. They were well in control after Ryan Burl’s big hitting and the seam bowlers’ excellent start, before succumbing to Bangladesh youngsters Afif Hossain and Mosaddek Hossain to make it 14 defeats in their last 17 T20Is.

And it doesn’t get much easier. Just 24 hours later, they will play Afghanistan, arguably favourites to take out this Tri-Series with 10 straight T20I wins to their name. The Afghan spin attack, headlined by skipper Rashid Khan, is their major trump card, and it remains to be seen if they can make a strong start to pile the pressure on Zimbabwe after two games. Coming off a landmark Test win just under a week ago, Afghanistan’s confidence will be sky-high.

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Key to an Afghanistan win

Zimbabwe’s poor finish with the ball is an opportunity for Afghanistan. In Hazratullah Zazai, Afghanistan have a true T20 specialist at the top, striking at 209.3 in his five T20Is to date. However, he and the Afghanistan top order will have to overcome Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara, who ripped through the Bangladesh top order to leave them reeling in the powerplay. If they can, then a hard-hitting middle order can be very difficult to stop.

Also, how well will Afghanistan’s spinners cope in greasy conditions? Both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe struggled to execute their plans in the death overs of the series opener, which puts onus on Afghanistan to perform better at this stage. Mujeeb ur Rahman, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi have been superb as a spin trio in Afghanistan’s run of T20I victories, and they will be asked to deliver 12 strong overs that the seamers can build on.

Key to a Zimbabwe win

Ryan Burl has been a shining light in a tough 2019 for Zimbabwe. His power hitting – which included 30 off a Shakib Al Hasan over – said that he is not willing to pay anyone respect. However, more is required from the experienced players, including Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams, who were all out cheaply against Bangladesh. If they again slip to 60-odd for five or worse, they might not be able to recover this time around. How well will they handle Rashid Khan and his spin partners? Can Zimbabwe keep the scoreboard ticking without losing regular wickets?

Also, Zimbabwe’s fielding is cause for improvement. Ryan Burl and Hamilton Masakadza took stunning catches outside and inside the ring respectively, but outside that, the Zimbabweans gave away crucial runs under pressure. To win here, they need to be clinical in the field, with Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara hitting excellent areas in the powerplay overs to make inroads. Can Zimbabwe then build on any good periods of play?

Possible Playing 11

Afghanistan: 1. Hazratullah Zazai, 2. Najeeb Tarakai, 3. Asghar Afghan, 4. Mohammad Nabi, 5. Najibullah Zadran, 6. Shafiqullah (wk), 7. Gulbadin Naib, 8. Rashid Khan (c), 9. Dawlat Zadran, 10. Naveen-ul-Haq/Sharafuddin Ashraf, 11. Mujeeb ur Rahman

Zimbabwe: 1. Brendan Taylor (wk), 2. Hamilton Masakadza (c), 3. Craig Ervine, 4. Sean Williams, 5. Timycen Maruma, 6. Ryan Burl, 7. Tinotenda Mutombodzi, 8. Neville Madziva, 9. Kyle Jarvis, 10. Tony Munyonga/Chris Mpofu, 11. Tendai Chatara

Pitch and Conditions

Showers are often lurking in Dhaka at this time of year. However, like the T20I Tri-Series opener, the rain should stay away for most of the night. The pitch for the first game had something in it for everyone: lower order batsmen could hit through the line, seamers found some nip and spinners got the ball to stop in the track and turn occasionally.

Stats and Facts

• Afghanistan have won their past 10 T20Is.
• Also, Afghanistan have won their past five T20Is against Zimbabwe.
• Rashid Khan vs Zimbabwe: Seven matches, 11 wickets, average: 15.91.
• Mohammad Nabi was man of the match in each of Afghanistan’s two wins over Zimbabwe in 2018.
• Ryan Burl has scored 49*, 53 and 57* as part of his last five innings for Zimbabwe in the T20I and ODI formats. He has often come in with his team in trouble in recent times.

Fantasy Cricket Prediction

MyTeam11 (regular) Prediction: Shafiqullah (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Najibullah Zadran, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Mohammad Nabi (vc), Sean Williams, Ryan Burl, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb ur Rahman, Kyle Jarvis

Dream11 Prediction

Option 2:

Match Prediction

Will a game under Zimbabwe’s belt help or hinder them? It could be the latter, given Afghanistan’s strong run in T20I cricket, especially in conditions similar to that of Dhaka. Afghanistan to win.

Thanks for reading!

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