World Cup: Afghanistan Aim For Maiden Win Against Bangladesh

Southampton: Afghanistan, who gave India a run for their money, will be aiming to replicate that performance and earn their first win in the ongoing World Cup when they take on Bangladesh at the Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium on Monday.

After being comprehensively beaten in the first four games, Afghanistan came out with a much improved performance against tournament favourites England and India.

Their bowling unit — which was taken for plenty by England as they posted 397/8 - delivered a commanding performance in their next fixture and restricted the famed Indian batting line-up for a below par total of 224. They had a great chance of causing the biggest upset of the ongoing tournament. However, their batters failed to match their bowling performance and barring Mohammad Nabi, none could show the grit and calm as Afghanistan lost a nail-biting encounter by 11 runs against the Men in Blue on Saturday.

Thus, Gulbadin Naib would hope that both his batters and bowlers perform well as a unit against Bangladesh which have looked quite convincing in the ongoing tournament.

Bangladesh’s batting has been a revelation in this World Cup and has relied mainly on Shakib al Hasan who is among the top five run-getters of the tournament. After hunting down a target of 322 against West Indies with ease, Bangladesh fought admirably in a 382-run chase against Australia, finishing with an impressive 333/8. IANS

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