Afghanistan look to clear Bangladesh hurdle for maiden semis spot

The equation will become clearer for Afghanistan and Bangladesh at least six hours before they strap on their boots for the last Group 1 match of the Super Eight phase of the men's T20 World Cup 2024, reports espncricinfo.com.
This is, however, a defeated Bangladesh side, possibly playing their last game of the World Cup after two meek defeats against India and Australia.
It has been another dream run for Afghanistan in a World Cup. They had fought hard in the 50-over tournament in India last year, only to finish in sixth place. This time, they have roared through the group stage, and although there were hiccups against West Indies and India, Afghanistan's landmark win against Australia has put them right back into contention for the semi-finals.
Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran complement each other, and they added their third century stand of the competition against Australia. That Afghanistan did not rely solely on their spinners in their historic win was also pleasing for them. Gulbadin Naib, who has bowled in only three out of 11 T20I matches this year, stunned Australia with a four-for, with Naveen-ul-Haq chipping in with three. This sort of performance frees up Rashid Khan from always having to deliver the knockout punches while also keeping things tight.
Afghanistan face a familiar opponent in Bangladesh, who won their last bilateral T20I series in July last year.
However, Bangladesh's batting has struggled significantly at this T20 World Cup. The top order has the lowest collective average among the Super Eight teams.
Their middle-order is also showing signs of wear and tear, which has led the team management to tinker with the fast-bowling line-up to bring in the extra batter.
Bangladesh struggled to put up a fight against Australia and India, and they are known to taper off at the end of long tours. They, however, have a point to prove before the tournament ends.
Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das (wk), 3 Najmul Hosain Shanto (capt), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Jaker Ali/Taskin Ahmed/Shoriful Islam, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Mahedi Hasan, 10 Tanzim Hasan, 11 Mustafizur Rahman
Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Azmatullah Omarzai, 4 Karim Janat, 5 Rashid Khan (capt), 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Gulbadin Naib, 8 Nangeyalia Kharote, 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi