Last Updated on 1 month by Charbel Coorey
BAN vs AFG 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report | BAN vs AFG 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | Bangladesh vs Afghanistan 1st T20I Key Players | Mirpur Pitch Report
Six or so months ago as Bangladesh beat Australia and New Zealand in their home den, optimism grew among their passionate fanbase that something special would ensue at the World Cup. However, it was quite the opposite, with the Tigers enduring a poor tournament, followed by a 3-0 defeat at home to Pakistan in December.
So, Mahmdullah’s team come into this match off the back of eight straight defeats in T20 Internationals. It is a format they have never really nailed, unlike the ODIs where they sit atop the Super League table after beating Afghanistan 2-1 in the recent series. Senior players will be on deck to lead the team, while eyes will also be on some youngsters looking to make a mark in this two-match series.
And it won’t be an easy task. Afghanistan enjoy T20 cricket, with a number of their players now seasoned professionals around the globe. A key part of their success has been their spin attack, and if Bangladesh produce a Mirpur track anything like we saw against Australia and New Zealand last year, the Afghan spinners will have a field day. So, can Afghanistan build on their victory in the third ODI and start the T20I series with a win?
Possible Playing 11
Munim Shahriar has been named in Bangladesh’s T20 squad, and he could make his debut.
Bangladesh: 1. Mohammad Naim/Munim Shahriar, 2. Liton Das, 3. Shakib Al Hasan, 4. Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5. Mahmudullah (c), 6. Afif Hossain, 7. Yasir Ali/Shoriful Islam, 8. Mahedi Hasan, 9. Taskin Ahmed, 10. Nasum Ahmed, 11. Mustafizur Rahman
Afghanistan: 1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2. Hazratullah Zazai, 3. Darwish Rasooli, 4. Najibullah Zadran, 5. Mohammad Nabi (c), 6. Azmatullah Omarzai, 7. Karim Janat, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10. Fazalhaq Farooqi, 11. Farid Ahmed
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
Bangladesh:
- Bangladesh needs some firepower at the top, and Munim Shahriar could provide that. The 23-year old right-hander struck 178 runs in six matches in the recent BPL at an impressive strike rate of 152.13.
- Shakib Al Hasan will be looking to make an impact after a relatively quiet ODI series. He has struck 123 runs in six T20Is vs Afghanistan (avg. 30.75) and has eight wickets too (avg. 15.25). Also, Shakib has now taken 152 wickets in 118 T20s at Mirpur.
- Liton Das was Bangladesh’s shining light in the ODI series. He struck a fifty and century in the three matches, so he comes into this match in great form.
- Mahmudullah has the most runs in BAN-AFG T20Is: 5 inns, 138 runs, avg. 27.60, SR 116.95. He also has the most runs in T20Is at Mirpur, with 719 runs at an average of 37.84 and strike rate of 117.86.
- Mustafizur Rahman took the most wickets in the recent BPL (19). Also, he loves bowling at this ground, with 110 wickets in 75 innings at an average of 15.76 and strike rate of 15.10. He has just the one wicket in two matches vs Afghanistan so far.
- Mahedi Hasan (54 wickets in 66 innings at Mirpur) and Nasum Ahmed (44 wickets in 49 innings at Mirpur) were terrific against Australia and New Zealand last year. Both will be key if the pitch provides some spin.
Afghanistan:
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz comes into this T20I off the back of a classy, unbeaten century in the third ODI. He made scores of 29 and 0 vs Bangladesh in T20Is in 2019.
- Hazratullah Zazai has scores of 47 and 1 to his name vs Bangladesh. The left-hander has the ability to take the game away from opponents with a career T20 strike rate of 143.96 in 77 matches.
- Skipper Mohammad Nabi has the most runs for an Afghanistan player against Bangladesh. He has scored 125 runs at an average of 31.25, which includes a brilliant 84* on this ground in 2019. He also has four wickets in six matches vs Bangladesh (avg. 26.50, econ. 5.30).
- Rashid Khan will be a factor, as always. The great leg-spinner has the most wickets in BAN-AFG T20Is, with 12 wickets in five matches at an average of 8.20 and economy rate of 5.50.
- Mujeeb ur Rahman has done plenty of bowling in Bangladesh lately with the BPL and ODI series. He was excellent in the recent BPL, taking 10 wickets in eight matches at an economy rate of just 5.81. Also, Mujeeb has taken seven wickets in five matches vs Bangladesh at an economy rate of just 4.70.
- Fazalhaq Farooqi was the top wicket-taker in the ODI series (6).
Stats and Facts
- Head-to-head: Matches 6, Bangladesh 2, Afghanistan 4.
- Bangladesh have lost their past eight T20Is.
- Mushfiqur Rahim has the most T20 runs at Mirpur: 110 inns, 2,693 runs, avg. 32.84, SR 125.61. He averages 23.80 in five innings vs Afghanistan.
Shere Bangla Stadium Mirpur Pitch Report and Weather
Bangladesh will be well served not producing sharp turning pitches against Afghanistan’s potent spin attack. So, we could see a truer, pacier pitch than what was on offer in 2021.
The average first innings score in the recent BPL was 145.1. The chasing team had a better time of things, winning six of the 10 matches.
A clear afternoon and evening is forecast in Mirpur.
Dream11 Prediction
Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.
Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction
Base team:
- Wicket-keepers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Liton Das
- Batsmen: Najibullah Zadran
- All-rounders: Mohammad Nabi, Shakib Al Hasan
- Bowlers: Mustafizur Rahman, Rashid Khan
Match Prediction
Bangladesh at home in white-ball cricket is always a tricky proposition. However, Afghanistan look to be more clear on their T20 approach. Afghanistan to win.