Bangladesh look to bounce back in second T20I

OVERVIEW

Afghanistan v Bangladesh
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun
2nd T20I
Tuesday 5 June; 2:30pm GMT, 8:00pm local

Afghanistan will be riding high on confidence after beating Bangladesh in the first Twenty20 International of the three-match series by 45 runs at their new 'home' ground — Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Dehradun. Meanwhile, Bangladesh will need to find a way to counter their opposition's spin attack in a must-win game to keep themselves alive in the series.

An experienced Bangladesh side must do better in certain areas to put the series on level terms. Firstly, they need to work on building bigger partnerships and provide a strong foundation, which they didn't in the previous game. Secondly, the contribution from their lower middle-order wasn't enough. At the same time, they also need their bowlers, which is without the services of Mustafizur Rahman, to raise their games, especially the pacers — Abul Hasan and Abu Jayed, who were expensive in the first game.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan will have to continue using their spinners the way they did. Their spin unit — comprising of Rashid Khan, the No.1 bowler in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's T20I Rankings, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi — will once again play a key role. The only concern for them is their middle-order, which was exposed by Mahmudullah on Sunday.

As such, the game might well be decided by how the Bangladesh batting, especially seniors like Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan, go against Khan & Co.

Key players

**Rashid Khan (Afghanistan):**The young leg-spinner will hold the key as always for Afghanistan. After having a successful season in the Indian Premier League 2018, Rashid carried his form to the international circuit, finishing with 3/13 and becoming the second fastest to 50 T20I wickets behind Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis.

**Mahmudullah (Bangladesh):**When he was handed the ball by Shakib in the first game, Mahmudullah produced an act of brilliance. He shook Afghanistan's middle-order with his off-spin, snaring two wickets in his one and only over. He finished with 2/1, and also contributed with the bat, scoring a 25-ball 29. He must do the same again.

**Conditions:**The pitch is likely to assist the spinners, but have something for the batsmen as well. The weather forecast looks promising, with the temperature set to hit a maximum of 31° C during the day.

Squads

Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Asghar Stanikzai (c), Najeeb Tarakai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Usman Ghani, Samiullah Shenwari, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Shapoor Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Abu Hider Rony, Rubel Hossain, Nazmul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Ariful Haque, Abu Jayed, Abul Hasan