Afghanistan's relationship with T20 cricket is different. Afghans have been dominating this format. On the other hand, Bangladesh’s relationship is completely opposite. Finally, the knot has opened, and Tigers have won the latest series against Afghanistan. And it is the fourth consecutive T20I series win for Bangladesh. After first defeating the world champions England, then Ireland, Bangladesh won the T20 series for the first time against the Afghans. Bangladesh reached the target of 119 runs given by Afghans with 5 balls remaining in the match, which was reduced to 17 overs due to rain. Afghanistan’s Overall Performance In the first T20I match against Bangladesh, Afghanistan opted to bat and aimed for a target of around 150 runs. Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz opened the innings but had a slow start. However, they managed to overcome the Bangladeshi bowlers in the second over. Zazai was dismissed for 8 runs, followed by Rahmanullah for 16 runs. Ibrahim Zadran and Karim Janat tried to stabilise the innings but couldn’t form a significant partnership. Nabi and Najibullah contributed 35 runs together, but their partnership was broken. Mohammad Nabi played a remarkable innings, scoring 54 runs, helping Afghanistan reach a total of 154 runs. In the bowling department, Afghanistan used seven bowlers, all of whom managed to take wickets except for Mohammad Nabi. Mujeeb, Rashid, Azmatullah, Farooqi, and Fareed took one wicket each, and Karim Janat achieved a hat-trick. In the second T20I match, Afghanistan’s batting performance was challenging due to losing early wickets. Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit a boundary but got out for 8 runs in the first over. Hazratullah Zazai also fell quickly in the third over. After a rain-related delay, Mustafizur dismissed Mohammad Nabi, while Shakib sent Ibrahim Zadran and Najibullah back to the pavilion. Azmatullah Omarzai and Karim Janat tried to recover the innings but were eventually dismissed after scoring 42 runs. Rashid Khan’s team could only reach 116 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 17 overs due to the rain interruption. In terms of bowling, Mujeeb Ur Rahman took 2 wickets in his 4 overs, and Azmatullah Omarzai also claimed 2 wickets in his 3 overs. Despite their efforts, Afghanistan couldn’t secure a victory in the second T20I against Bangladesh. Read more: Bangladesh clinch T20I series against Afghanistan with easy win Bangladesh’s Overall Performance Bangladesh had a solid overall performance in the T20 series against Afghanistan. In the first T20I, the Bangladesh team faced an early setback when Rony Talukdar was bowled out by Farooqi in the first over. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das tried to control the innings, but Shanto got dismissed after scoring 12 runs. Litton also went soon after, scoring 18 runs. However, the partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Hridoy boosted Bangladesh’s innings. Shakib contributed 19 runs before being caught by Karim off Fareed’s delivery. Shamim Hossain and Hridoy then built a partnership of 73 runs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin, and Nasum got out in quick succession, giving Karim Janat a hat trick. However, Shoriful Islam’s boundary helped Bangladesh reach the target. In the bowling, Shakib, Nasum, Taskin, Shoriful, Mustafiz, and Miraz claimed one wicket each. Shakib and Taskin bowled four overs, while Nasum and Shoriful bowled three overs each. Miraz bowled two overs in the match. In the second T20I, Litton Das and Afif Hossain provided a strong opening partnership for Bangladesh. Litton played aggressively, and the team quickly crossed the 50-run mark without losing a wicket. However, Litton got out after scoring 67 runs, followed by Afif’s dismissal. Nazmul Hasan Shanto couldn’t stay at the crease for long and was dismissed for 4 runs. Hridoy and Shakib played crucial roles in maintaining the run flow and securing victory with 5 balls to spare. However, Taskin was impressive in the bowling department, taking 3 wickets in his 4 overs with an economy rate of 8.25. Mustafiz and Shakib contributed with 2 wickets each. Hasan Mahmud and Nasum Ahmed couldn’t claim any wickets in the match. Overall, Bangladesh showed a strong batting performance in both matches, with key contributions from various players. Their bowling unit also performed well, taking regular wickets and containing the Afghan batsmen effectively. Read more: ICC World Cup 2023 Schedule Revealed: Bangladesh to face Afghanistan in First Match Overall Stats of the Bangladesh Vs Afghanistan T20I Series 2023 Table: Overall stats Matches Afghanistan Bangladesh 1st T20I 154/7 157/8 Bangladesh won by 2 wickets (with 1 ball remaining) 2nd T20I 116/7 119/4 Bangladesh won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining) Best Performers in the 2023 BAN vs AFG T20I Series Table: Top performers of Bangladesh and Afghanistan Squads in the T20 Series 2023 Player Performance Shakib Al Hasan 4 wickets and 37 runs Azmatullah Omarzai 3 Wickets and 58 runs Mohammad Nabi 70 runs Towhid Hridoy  66 runs Shakib Al Hasan Shakib Al Hasan, the star all-rounder, had an impressive performance in the T20 series against Afghanistan. In the first T20I, Shakib showcased his skills with both bat and ball. He contributed 19 runs with the bat. Additionally, he made a significant impact with the ball, taking two crucial wickets to help restrict Afghanistan’s batting line-up. In the second T20I, Shakib continued to display his all-round prowess. He played a crucial role in Bangladesh’s victory by scoring an unbeaten 18 runs and taking 2 wickets. Read more: Bangladesh Women Register Historic Maiden ODI Win Against India Azmatullah Omarzai Azmatullah Omarzai did really well in the T20 cricket series against Bangladesh. He showed his skills in both batting and bowling. In the first game, he scored 33 runs with the bat. He also took a wicket while bowling. In the second game, Azmatullah continued to impress everyone. He scored 25 runs, which was important for his team when things were a bit difficult. He helped Afghanistan get a good score on the scoreboard. He also took two wickets. Mohammad Nabi Nabi was the highest run scorer in the T20 series. He scored 70 runs in two matches. He scored 54 runs from 40 balls in the first match and remained not out. However, his performance was a bit low in the second match, as he scored 16 runs from 22 deliveries. Towhid Hridoy Hridoy was the highest run scorer for Bangladesh accumulating 66 runs. His 47 runs in the first match helped Bangladesh win the match. However, the 19 runs from 17 balls in the second match also contributed greatly to the team’s victory. Final Words The Bangladesh vs Afghanistan series 2023 included Test, ODI and T20 matches. First, Afghans lost the Test match against Bangladesh. Then in the ODI series, the Afghanistan team turned things around and won. After that, in the T20 matches, the Bangladesh team, led by Shakib, got revenge for their loss in the ODI series. Bangladesh won all the T20 matches against Afghanistan.  Read more: ICC World Cup 2023: Schedule, Fixtures, Venues, Team List

Bangladesh won by 2 wickets in the first T20 match of the series against Afghanistan. In response to the 155 runs target given by the Afghans, the Tigers reached the target with 1 ball in hand. Despite Afghanistan’s Karim Janat’s hat-trick in the last over, Tigers eventually left the field with a victory. Thus Shakib Al Hasan’s team took a 1-0 lead in the BAN vs AFG T20I series. Afghanistan’s Batting Performance Table: Afghanistan’s Top Performers Player Runs Mohammad Nabi 54 (Not Out) Azmatullah Omarzai 33 Najibullah Zadran 23 Read more: 1st T20I: Tigers leave it late but win despite Janat hattrick After winning the toss, Shakib Al Hasan sent Afghans to batting. However, Afghanistan got its expected score. At the time of the toss, Afghan captain Rashid Khan said they were eyeing around 150 runs, and they scored 154 runs from 7 wickets. Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were openers for Afghanistan. Even though they started slowly, the duo overcame the Bangladeshi bowlers in the second over. However, Zazai returned to the pavilion for 8 runs after being defeated by Nasum’s spin. Then Ibrahim Zadran came to the crease. Rahmanullah was sent to the pavilion in the fourth over of the match, as he was caught by Mehidy Hasan Miraz. He scored 16 runs with two boundaries and a six before being dismissed by Taskin. Later, Karim Janat came to the wicket to make a partnership with Ibrahim. However, the visitors did not get any benefit from that. Ibrahim, who achieved a remarkable century in the ODI, made his way back to the dressing room following his dismissal by Shoriful's fast bowling. Afghanistan lost wickets at regular intervals, and they were under pressure. In 7.4 overs of the match, Tiger captain Shakib sent Karim Janat to the pavilion. Later, Nabi and Najibullah led the team’s innings and reduced some pressure; 35 runs come from this pair. However, Miraz broke their partnership. In the 13th over of the match, Najibullah was caught out by Liton in Miraz’s ball. He scored 23 runs before getting out. In the last minute of the match, Azmatullah Omarzai started scoring runs quickly with fours and sixes. However, he had to stop at 33 runs in Shakib’s spin. Then the Afghan captain Rashid Khan came to the wicket. Read more: Overview of BAN vs AFG ODI Series 2023 Mohammad Nabi scored the fifth fifty of his T20 career by hitting Mustafizur for a boundary in 19.3 balls of the match. Then he added 1 more run. As a result, Nabi played a great innings of 54 runs when the team was struggling. The Afghans stopped at 154 runs. Bangladesh’s Bowling Performance Shakib Al Hasan used six bowlers, including himself, and all of them got at least one wicket. Nasum, Taskin, Shoriful, Mustafiz, and Miraz got one wicket each. Only Shakib Al Hasan got two wickets. Shakib, Taskin, and Mustafiz bowled four overs, while Nasum and Shoriful bowled 3 overs each. However, Miraz bowled 2 overs. Bangladesh’s Batting Performance Table: Bangladesh’s Top Performers Player Runs Towhid Hridoy 47 (not out) Shamim Hossain 33 Shakib Al Hasan  19 Read more: Bangladesh Women's team beat India in 3rd T20I The host Bangladesh got a shock at the beginning when they came to bat. Rony Talukdar and Litton Das opened the innings for Bangladesh. However, Roni returned after being bowled at the last ball of the first over of the match. He scored 4 runs before being dismissed by Farooqi. Then Najmul Hossain Shanto came to the crease to lead the team. He started to rotate the strike by understanding the behavior of the wicket. Further, Litton also tried to advance the team’s innings with Shanto. In the sixth over of the match, Shanto was unfortunately dismissed by Mujeeb after scoring 12 runs. After that, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan came to the wicket. Litton gave away the wicket before being partnered with Shakib. Litton scored 18 runs off 19 balls in this match. After that, the Shakib-Hridoy duo continued to advance the team’s innings. However, Shakib returned to the pavilion after being caught by Karim on Fareed’s ball. The Tiger captain scored 19 runs in three boundaries. Next, Shamim Hossain came to the pitch. As soon as he started batting, he fell into LBW but the umpire denied the appeal. Shamim-Hridoy took the team’s innings slowly after handling the pressure. This pair scored 73 runs. Shamim gave away his wicket on a wrong shot to bring the team to the edge of victory. He was caught by Gurbaz while sweeping Rashid’s ball. He had to stop at 33 runs. Read more: ICC World Cup 2023: Schedule, Fixtures, Venues, Team List Then Mehidy Hasan Miraz came to pitch. However, while playing Karim’s ball to midwicket, he was caught by Nabi. After that, Taskin and Nasum got out in the next two balls and Karim Janat got his hat trick. This turned the match into drama. However, Shoriful Islam took a boundary after coming to the wicket. As a result, the Tigers reached the target. Afghanistan’s Bowling Performance Rashid Khan used 7 bowlers, and all of them got wickets except Mohammad Nabi. Farooqi, Mujeeb, Azmatullah, Rashid, and Fareed got one wicket each. However, Karim Janat got a hat trick by bowling 1.5 overs. Final Words The second and last match of the 2023 BAN vs AFG T20I series will take place on July 16 at the same venue at the same time. The first match was very close for both teams. So, it is evident that both teams will take mental preparation to fight hard. But yesterday’s win will surely boost the tiger’s confidence. Read more: Watch Live BAN vs AFG Series 2023 on Toffee: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan ODI cricket series will be broadcasted live on Toffee app

After the completion of the ODI series in Chattogram, the players of Bangladesh and Afghanistan teams reached Sylhet to play two T20I matches. The BAN vs AFG T20I series will start on Friday, July 14, 2023, at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. After that, the second T20I between Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be played on the same ground next Saturday, July 16, 2023. Both matches will start at 6 pm. Preview of the 2023 Bangladesh vs Afghanistan 1st T20I Match The difference in strength and experience between the two teams is obvious in ODIs. But in T20I, Bangladesh should take Afghanistan seriously for various reasons. In this format, the two teams are almost equal in terms of strength, experience, and field success. Rather, Afghanistan should be put forward with some consideration. The upcoming T20I series will mark Bangladesh's return to the format after their last match in March, where they secured a 2-1 home series victory against Ireland. Similarly, this series holds significance for Afghanistan as well, as it will be their first assignment since their impressive 2-1 series triumph against Pakistan in the UAE back in March. The leadership role of the Bangladesh team will be in the hands of star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, while the talented spinner Rashid Khan will be leading the Afghanistan side. This T20I series will mark the tenth and eleventh encounters between the two teams in this format, adding to their rivalry and history in T20I cricket. Further, Shakib Al Hasan's leadership will bring experience and strategic insight to the Bangladesh team, while his exceptional skills as an all-rounder will make him a key player in both the batting and bowling departments. On the other hand, Rashid Khan's captaincy will be backed by his immense talent as a world-class spinner, capable of turning the game in Afghanistan's favor with his exceptional spin variations and smart cricketing mind. Read more: Overview of BAN vs AFG ODI Series 2023 Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Head to Head: Who has Competitive Edge? Table: Head to head T20 records between Bangladesh and Afghanistan So Far Matches Year Winner Score Match 1 2014 Bangladesh won by 9 wickets AFG: 72/10 BAN: 78/1 Match 2 2018 Afghanistan won by 45 runs AFG: 167/8 BAN: 122/10 Match 3 2018 Afghanistan won by 6 wickets BAN: 134/8 AFG: 135/4 Match 4 2018 Afghanistan won by 1 run AFG: 145/6 BAN: 144/6 Match 5 2019 Afghanistan won by 25 runs AFG: 164/6 BAN: 139/10 Match 6 2019 Bangladesh won by 4 wickets AFG: 138/7 BAN: 139/6 Match 7 2022 Bangladesh won by 61 runs BAN: 155/8 AFG: 94/10 Match 8 2022 Afghanistan won by 8 wickets BAN: 115/9 AFG: 121/2 Match 9 2022 Afghanistan won by 7 wickets BAN: 127/7 AFG: 131/3 Statistically, Afghanistan is far ahead of Bangladesh in this format. Afghans have won 6 times and Bangladesh 3 times out of nine matches. Afghanistan won easily in all of them. On the other hand, Bangladesh had to struggle to win. The two teams met twice in the bilateral series. They beat Bangladesh 3-0 at India in 2018.  Read more: BAN vs AFG Series 2023: Bangladesh T20 Squad Analysis Last year, the series between the two teams was tied 1-1. Afghanistan secured comfortable victories in the last two matches against Bangladesh, winning by 8 and 7 wickets respectively. However, it's worth noting that Bangladesh emerged victorious in two out of the last five matches between the two teams. In other words, out of the total three wins against the Afghans, the Tigers secured two in recent times. Probable XI for Bangladesh against Afghanistan Litton Das (wk), Najmul Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Afif Hossain, Rony Talukdar, Mehidy Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman. Probable XI for Afghanistan against Bangladesh Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi. Key Players of BAN vs AFG 1st T20I Match 2023 Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh) While Shanto struggled in the last T20I series against Ireland, his performance in the T20I series against England was exceptional. He accumulated a total of 144 runs and played a crucial role in influencing the outcome of the matches, as evident from his impressive impact score of 153.2 across the three games. Shanto showcased his remarkable cricketing abilities and maintained an average impact of 51 per match. His contributions were magnificent in the success of the team against England. So, fans are expecting that he will return in his known form. Read more: Watch Live BAN vs AFG Series 2023 on Toffee: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan cricket series will be broadcasted live on Toffee app Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of the team, played a pivotal role in Bangladesh's remarkable clean sweep against England. Moreover, he displayed excellent decision-making skills throughout the series against England. Shakib continued to impress during the Ireland series. In the second match, he delivered an outstanding performance by capturing 5 wickets while conceding a mere 22 runs in just 4 overs. This remarkable feat marks the second time he has taken 5 wickets in a T20I match, establishing it as one of his finest bowling displays. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) Rashid Khan is now the best T20I bowler in the world. He took over the top spot from Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka because of his amazing performance in Afghanistan's 2-1 series victory against Pakistan in Sharjah. Rashid took three wickets while giving away very few runs in the match. This is a big achievement for Rashid Khan, and it shows how talented he is as a bowler in T20I cricket. And he will surely put pressure on Bangladeshi batsmen. Also, he has the career-best rating (816) against Bangladesh. Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan) Farooqi is the second-best T20I bowler after Rashid Khan, with a 692 rating. We have seen his tremendous performance in the recently concluded ODI series. So, he will surely keep shining in the T20I series too. Overall, he played 22 T20I matches and grabbed 26 wickets. He also took 5 wickets in the last T20I series against Bangladesh in 2022. Ticket Price of 2023 Bangladesh vs Afghanistan T20I Match The T20I match can be watched from the grandstand for BDT 1500. Apart from that, the clubhouse ticket price is BDT 500, and the Eastern Gallery ticket is BDT 300. Besides, you have to spend BDT 200 to sit and watch in the Western Gallery and Green Hill area. Read more: BAN vs AFG Live 2023, where to watch: TV channels and live streaming | Playing XI Final Words After losing the ODI series, Bangladesh will certainly try to win the T20I series. However, both teams have talented players, and the series would be a great display of cricketing skills and strategies. Hence, we can expect a competitive fight in the BAN vs AFG 1st T20I.