Tigers' crucial match against Afghanistan tomorrow

The Afghanistan men's national T20 team shocked many cricket pundits in the Asia Cup 2022 opener by beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets in one-sided affair at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The way Afghanistan dominated the contest was quite shocking to many. Their openers were ruthless towards the Lankan bowlers, and their bowling unit choked the opposition batters by showing good discipline with the ball, reports agencies.
The Bangladesh national men's Twenty20 cricket team will start their Asia Cup 2022 campaign tomorrow (Tuesday) against confident Afghanistan. The match is crucial for the Tigers in their quest for a Super Four berth.
Bangladesh have to overcome all the odds against their opposition to clinch their opening fixture in the Asia Cup 2022. The Afghanistan campaign is now riding high on confidence after their brilliant performance in the 15th edition of the Asia Cup. Moreover, Afghanistan's T20 record at Sharjah Ground is a major worry for Bangladesh.
Afghanistan have won 10 out of 13 matches played at the stadium. In contrast, Bangladesh lost two matches they played against Sri Lanka and West Indies at this venue in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan have a better head-to-head T20 record against Bangladesh. The Afghan side has won five and lost three of the eight matches they have faced against the team Tigers.
The two sides last met each other in a 2-match bilateral series last March, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Afghanistan even whitewashed Bangladesh 3-match bilateral series 2018. Afghanistan is a dangerous Twenty20 side. Afghanistan, in Group B with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, have made a thumping start to their campaign in the six-nation tournament that acts as a tune-up to the T20 World Cup in October-November in Australia.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh, on the other hand, have arrived in the tournament with some disappointing performances in recent series.
Tigers' newly appointed T20 Captain Shakib Al Hasan did not reveal any particular target to the media before leaving the country.
The majority of cricket experts consider Sri Lanka the favourite in Group B to advance to Super Four phase. But after their dismal showing against Afghanistan, they could be the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.
Bangladesh will play with less pressure in their final group stage fixture against Sri Lanka on September 01 if they can beat Afghanistan in their first match. Afghanistan, on the other hand, will secure a place in the next round if they beat Bangladesh.
The team Tigers have a tough job on hand to over come a confident Afghan side who destroyed the Lankan side in the tournament opener.
The Sri Lankan campaign did not expect that they would see a monstrous performance from the Afghanistan side. The equation to reach the next round will become even more difficult if Bangladesh manage to beat Afghanistan. Sri Lanka will then have to beat Bangladesh by a big margin.