The wait for Bangladesh cricket fans to see their team play in the Asia Cup 2022 will finally be over on Tuesday. The Bangladesh national men’s T20 cricket team will take on Afghanistan in their opening fixture on August 30 at the Sharjah Cricket Ground. The match will start at 8 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time). The Bangladesh team needs a suitable strategy which could help them dominate Afghanistan during the contest. Power hitting is one of the areas where the Tigers need to give special attention. India’s Hardik Pandya impressed everyone with his match-winning, aggressive knock against Pakistan. He was also lauded for staying calm at the crease while chasing the target. Someone from the Bangladesh squad will have to do a similar kind of role like Pandya does for India. Let’s take a look at which Bangladeshi players have power-hitting potential in the death overs. What is Hardik Pandya’s role in India’s Twenty20 team? The 28-year-old Indian all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, made his international debut in the Twenty20 format against Australia in 2016. Hardik was initially considered the next Kapil Dev of Indian cricket because of his ability both with the bat and ball. Over the years, he has made a name for himself by delivering match-winning performances for team India. Pandya is now one of the valuable members of India’s limited-overs side. Read Asia Cup 2022: 5 striking performers in India vs Pakistan match Hardik Pandya is a medium pacer and a hard-hitting batter. He has 133 wickets and 2,785 runs in 145 matches for the Indian national team. Pandya is used as a fourth or fifth bowler and his batting position is usually either no. 6 or no. 7. Hardik always tries to provide important breakthroughs and is economical with the ball. In batting, his current role is to finish the game while chasing and accelerate the run rate in the death overs if he bats first. The right-hander has become one of the most trusted cricketers when it comes to power hitting in the final few overs of an innings. Pandya’s recent T20I stats speak for themselves. He has featured in 25 Twenty20 International matches since January 2021 and helped India win 17 of them. In winning matches, Pandya’s combined strike rate was more than 150, which indicates how effective a batter he has become for India. Besides, he has been the most successful middle-order batter for team India since 2021. Read Asia Cup 2022: 8 milestones within sight of Bangladesh players Since January 1, 2021, the top three most successful middle-order batters for India in the T20 format Player Innings Runs HS Ave SR 50+ 6s Hardik Pandya 21 479 51 31.93 142.55 1 23 Rishabh Pant 20 419 52* 27.93 127.35 1 13 Suryakumar Yadav 12 379 117 37.90 181.33 3 21    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Bangladeshi players who have potentials to bat like Hardik Pandya Bangladesh cricketers’ records haven’t been that impressive in comparison to the players of big cricketing nations. However, they have very good T20 records at domestic level. The players need to focus more and improve their technical ability in order to improve their performance on the international stage for the Bangladesh national side. Read Asia Cup 2022: How Bangladesh can defeat a confident Afghanistan team The Bangladesh players who bat between five and eight positions will have to play a similar kind of role to India’s Hardik Pandya. The players who can bat in the middle order are: Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddek Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mahedi Hasan, and Mohammad Saifuddin. Except for Sabbir Rahman, the rest of the four players have regularly played for the Tigers national Twenty20 side in recent series. Sabbir was called back after a three-year absence. Let’s see their performances in T20I cricket.  Mohammad Saifuddin Saifuddin has a similar kind of cricketing profile to Hardik Pandya. If the left-hander gets a chance in the playing XI, he will bat at no.8. However, Saifuddin is yet to reach the level of Pandya in batting. Mushfiqur Rahim The veteran batter, Mushfiqur is expected to bat at No.4. According to reports, he may even open the innings for Bangladesh. Mushfiqur’s role will be to strengthen the middle-order, not to play a specific hard-hitting role. Read Asia Cup 2022: Live streaming TV channels, online platforms to watch from Bangladesh Mahmudullah Riyad Mahmudullah Riyad is the most experienced cricketer among them. But Riyad’s recent international performances haven’t been up to the mark. His overall strike rate has dropped since last year. Mahedi Hasan Another potential player could be Mahedi Hasan. The right-handed, aggressive-minded batter has found a place in the Bangladesh T20 squad by showing impressive performances in the BPL tournaments. However, Mahedi is yet to fulfill his true potential for the national side. Sabbir Rahman Sabbir has a decent T20I record and could be an ideal candidate for the power-hitting duties. He has a better average and strike rate than the other two. Sabbir has also hit more T20I sixes than Afif and Mosaddek. One major worry regarding Sabbir could be his absence from international cricket for three long years. Making a comeback and immediately starting to perform is quite difficult. If Sabbir gets a chance to play at his full potential, he could be a real trump card for Bangladesh. Read Asia Cup Cricket 2022: Meet the captains of 6 participating teams Afif Hossain Afif gets the vice-captaincy role for the Bangladesh T20I side, which indicates how highly the BCB has valued his potential. The left-handed batter has shown that he is very much capable of accelerating the run rate. With time, he could get even better. The possibility of promoting Afif in the batting order is unlikely in this tournament. Therefore, he may be seen to play at either the no.5 or no.6 position. Mosaddek Hossain Mosaddek is very much capable of smashing the ball out of the ground. Surprisingly, he has only seven sixes in 19 T20I innings. However, the right-handed batter has the potential to become successful in the power-hitting role if he plays with the proper mindset and feels confident in his ability. Since January 1, 2021, the top three most successful middle-order batters for Bangladesh in the T20 format Player Innings Runs HS Ave SR 50+ 6s Afif Hossain 33 585 50 21.66 117.46 1 21 Mahmudullah Riyad 31 580 52 22.30 106.03 2 15 Nurul Hasan 22 235 42* 13.82 114.63 0 10    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read Asia Cup Cricket: A look back at Bangladesh’s 5 memorable victories Bottom Line India’s Hardik Pandya is arguably the best power hitter in the lower middle order from Asia. He has the ability to win a match on his own through his swashbuckling batting effort in the death overs. The Bangladesh Twenty20 cricket team has very limited options to do a job like Pandya in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. Sabbir Rahman, Afif Hossain and Mosaddek Hossain are probably the three Bangladesh players who have the potential to bat like Hardik Pandya. Will they, or anyone from the middle-order, be able to fulfill the expectation of power-hitting in this tournament? The Bangladesh campaign is hoping that someone will carry the responsibility and will make an invaluable impact on the team.

Bangladesh's three-match One-Day International series and two-match T20 series against Afghanistan at home came to an end on Saturday, (March 5). They won the limited-overs series 2-1, while the Twenty20 series ended in a 1-1 draw. Bangladesh team had a mixed performance in both series. On an individual level, several players' performances were satisfactory for the BCB. Besides, there were also a few disappointing performances. Let's take a look at Bangladesh's overall performance and how the players fared in the BAN vs AFG Series 2022. Bangladesh Cricket Team's Performance in the BAN vs AFG Series 2022 Afghanistan's visit to Bangladesh began with a limited-overs series. The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram hosted all of the series' ODI matches. Following the completion of the ODI series, both teams returned to Dhaka for the T20I series at the SBNCS, Mirpur. Bangladesh’s Performance in ODI Series Bangladesh campaign had hoped for a good victory over their opponents in the first match, but their hopes were dashed. Bangladesh were reduced to 45/6 in 11.2 overs when chasing Afghanistan's 215 runs. The undefeated 174* run partnership between Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz helped the hosts win the match by four wickets. Read Shane Warne's Death: The Spin Wizard's Astounding Cricket Moments and Records Bangladesh players went into the second encounter full of confidence after an incredible victory in the first match. Their on-field confidence was reflected in the team's overall performance. Bangladesh went on to win the vital second One-Day International by 88 runs after scoring a massive 306/4. Bangladesh would have moved up to sixth place in the ICC ODI rankings if they had won the series 3-0 over Afghanistan. However, the final encounter was a massive failure for the hosts. They were dismissed for 192 runs, which Afghanistan easily chased down in 40.1 overs for the loss of only three wickets. Read ICC Women's World Cup: Tigresses start campaign on wrong foot The hosts won the ODI series 2-1 and climbed to the top of the ICC World Cup Super League points table. Bangladesh team was anticipated to win the series, but failing to whitewash Afghanistan was a major disappointment. Bangladesh’s Performance in T20I Series Bangladesh dominated the opening Twenty20 encounter of the series, winning by 61 runs. But as in the ODI series, batters struggled in the final match of the T20I series and they were restricted to 115/9 in the allotted 20 overs. Afghanistan comfortably chased down the target for the loss of two wickets with 14 balls to spare. Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Can Bangladesh Whitewash Afghanistan in Twenty20 Series? Bangladesh had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Afghanistan in the T20I series, which was yet another disappointment. If Bangladesh had won the series 2-0 over Afghanistan, they would have moved up to the seventh position in the ICC T20I standings. Bangladesh have lost nine of their previous ten Twenty20 matches, and the BCB needs an effective plan for the development of the T20 format. Individual Performances by Bangladesh Players in the Bangladesh-Afghanistan series 2022  Some young Bangladeshi cricketers excelled in the series against Afghanistan. Besides, it was disappointing that the senior cricketers did not perform well on a consistent basis. Let's take a look at the performance of Bangladesh's players throughout the series. Read BAN vs AFG Series 2022: Bangladesh’s Predicted Playing XI for First T20I Batting Liton Das' return to form in the limited-overs format was one of Bangladesh's most notable achievements in the series. He was the team's leading scorer with 223 runs. Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz proved that they are ready to take responsibility on the international stage with a superb match-winning partnership in the first ODI. Afif ended the ODI series as Bangladesh's second-highest run-scorer. Besides, Mushfiqur Rahim scored 86 runs in the second One-Day International. ODI captain and opener, Tamim Iqbal had a disastrous series, getting out three times in Fazalhaq Farooqi's bowling. He has to improve his footwork technique, especially when it comes to incoming deliveries. Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad both struggled with the bat in the series. Newcomer, Yasir Ali only made 1 run in three innings. Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Bangladesh Seek Resurgence in Twenty20 Format Top three run-scorers for Bangladesh in the ODI series Player Innings Runs HS 100s Litton Das 3 223 136 1 Afif Hossain 3 111 93* 0 Mushfiqur Rahim 3 96 86 0    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Players to Watch Liton Das was Bangladesh's leading run-scorer in the T20 format, with 73 runs. His top score of 60 runs came in the first match of the series, which assisted Bangladesh set up a challenging score to defend. Other than him, no other batters stood out in this two-match series. Afif Hossain was the second-highest run-scorer with 32 runs, while skipper Mahmudullah made 31. Bowling Shakib Al Hasan took the most wickets for Bangladesh in the ODI series. He took five wickets in three innings. Bangladesh's front-line pacers — Mustafizur, Taskin, and Shoriful – all performed well in the limited-overs series. Read BAN vs AFG T20I Series 2022: Bangladesh Aim to Leapfrog Afghanistan in ICC Rankings Top three wicket-takers for Bangladesh in ODI series  Player Innings Wickets BBI Econ Shakib Al Hasan 3 5 2/38 4.65 Mustafizur Rahman 3 4 3/35 4.83 Taskin Ahmed 3 4 2/31 4.61    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read ICC Test Championship: SA maintain fourth position after series draw against NZ Nasum Ahmed bowled brilliantly in the opening T20I, taking four wickets for only ten runs to help Bangladesh take a 1-0 series lead. He was the most successful bowler for the hosts in the Twenty20 series. In addition, Shakib Al Hasan, Shoriful Islam, and Mustafizur Rahman looked impressive in the first match. However, they all struggled in the second T20I. Fielding Bangladesh's fielding was a major disappointment In the Afghanistan series. They dropped nine catches in five matches, which is a very concerning statistic for a Test-playing nation. Bangladesh's fielding must be at its best in the upcoming series against South Africa. Otherwise, both the ODI and Test series will be a catastrophe for them. Read BAN vs AFG 2022: Notable T20I records between Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Way Forward Bangladesh had high hopes of winning all five of their matches against Afghanistan. They should have won all of the games based on how they started both series. However, the host had struggled in the last matches of each series. Therefore, they were unable to attain the desired result in the BAN vs AFG series 2022. Bangladesh as a team must develop substantially in order to be more competitive against the South African national team in the next series. Players must be dedicated to improving their individual performances in order to be well equipped to face a formidable Proteas team. Read ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022: Full Fixtures, Dates, Venues

The body language of the Bangladesh team in the second match of the series was different, indicating that the amazing comeback in the first ODI had an impact on the players. Oppositely, Afghanistan appeared to be lacking in confidence and unsure of what to accomplish in the field. Bangladesh clinched the series with a game to spare with this win. They have also surpassed England to grab the top spot in the ongoing ICC World Cup Super League points standings. The current state of the CWC Super League and the second match report are discussed in this article.  Current Scenario of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League Bangladesh have topped the CWC Super League with a total of 100 points after 14 games. Bangladesh had 80 points prior to the series, 15 points fewer than England. Bangladesh gained 20 points and climbed up to first place after winning two consecutive matches against Afghanistan. Bangladesh can only expect to expand their lead in the points standings with one game remaining in the ongoing ODI series. Read PM congratulates Tigers on winning 2nd ODI vs Afghanistan and sealing series On the other hand, Afghanistan are in seventh place with 60 points after eight matches. They have dropped to one spot because of net run rates. Afghanistan suffered their first defeat in the CWC Super League in this series against Bangladesh. They had won six consecutive games in the league prior to this. England are in second place with 95 points, followed by India, Ireland, and Sri Lanka. Australia, Afghanistan, and the West Indies are in sixth, seventh, and eighth places, respectively. Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand are ranked ninth, tenth, and twelfth. The top eight teams in the CWC Super League points table will automatically qualify for the World Cup 2023. Read:Liton-Mushfiqur partnership ensure series win against Afghanistan Top eight teams of ICC ODI World Cup Super League Points Table (as of February 25) Position Team Matches Win Loss Points NRR 1 Bangladesh 14 10 4 100 0.422 2 England 15 9 5 95 0.838 3 India 12 8 4 79 0.416 4 Ireland 18 6 10 68 -0.355 5 Sri Lanka 18 6 11 62 -0.031 6 Australia 9 6 3 60 0.633 7 Afghanistan 8 6 2 60 0.344 8 West Indies 15 5 10 50 -0.972 Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup-super-league/standings Bangladesh-Afghanistan ODI Series 2022: Second Match Report Bangladesh chose to bat first in the second One-Day International against Afghanistan on Friday in order to set up a big total. Bangladesh scored more than 300 runs to defend thanks to Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim's record-breaking 202-run third-wicket stand. Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal had Bangladesh's previous best third-wicket partnership (178). Read:Domingo eyes to grab the series in 2nd ODI vs Afghanistan Top five third-wicket partnership of Bangladesh in ODI Partners Runs Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim 202 Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal 178 Anamul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim 174 Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan 142 Mohammad Ashraful and Raqibul Hasan 141 Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Bangladesh finally finished on 306/4 in their allocated 50 overs. Liton Das scored his fifth ODI century in the match and his first against Afghanistan. Liton struck 136 from 126 balls Before losing his wicket in the 47th over. On the other hand, Mushfiqur Rahim scored 86 runs with the bat. Read BAN vs AFG ODI Series 2022: Bangladesh Start as Favourites Bangladesh had had no big problems when it came to defending the huge total. Afghanistan were bowled out for 218 runs in 45.1 overs. For the Afghans, opener Rahmat Shah scored 52 runs, while Najibullah Zadran scored 54 runs. Taskin Ahmed and Shakib Al Hasan took the most wickets for Bangladesh, each with two. Liton Das was named player of the match for his outstanding batting performance. Aftermath Bangladesh dominated Afghanistan in the second One-Day International of the series, displaying their true potential in the format. Bangladesh can only expect to improve as a team and become a competitive one before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with this set of players. In addition, Bangladesh are in a great position in the Super League for a direct berth in the next World Cup. On the other hand, Afghanistan have shown all through the series that they need to improve significantly in the ODI format if they are to finish in the top eight of the CWC Super League points table. The third ODI in the BAN vs AFG 2022 series will be played at the ZACS, Chattogram on Monday (February 28).  Read BAN vs AFG ODI Series 2022: Five Unique Records Broken in the First Match

Bangladesh will host Afghanistan for a three-match One-Day International series, followed by a two-match Twenty20 International series starting from February 23, (Wednesday). The hosts have to win both series in order to keep their momentum on the international stage. As a result, the Bangladesh team will put up their best effort in an attempt to win both series. Besides, players can reach several personal landmarks during the series. The milestones that Bangladesh cricketers can achieve in the BAN vs AFG 2022 series are discussed in this article. Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Series 2022: Reachable Milestones for Bangladesh Cricketers  All of Bangladesh's senior players, Mahmudullah Riyad, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mushfiqur Rahim are on the verge of attaining personal milestones. Aside from them, a few other players have a chance to attain an individual landmark. Let's take a look at some of the milestones that Bangladeshi players may accomplish during the upcoming BAN vs AFG 2022 series. 50 ODI Appearances Liton Das has appeared in 47 One-Day Internationals for Bangladesh, and he just has to play three more to reach 50. Read NZ vs SA 2022: New Zealand Thrash South Africa in the First Test 2000 T20I Runs Bangladesh's T20I skipper, Mahmudullah Riyad, and ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan are on the verge of amassing 2000 runs in Twenty20 Internationals cricket. Mahmudullah has 1,971 runs in 105 innings and just has to score 29 more runs to reach the 2000-run mark. On the other hand, Shakib Al Hasan needs 106 runs to get 2000 T20I runs. Shakib has scored 1,894 runs in 93 T20I innings for Bangladesh. 1000 T20I Runs Liton Das has 844 runs in 45 innings and needs 156 more runs to reach 1,000 T20I runs for Bangladesh. 100 T20I Appearances Mushfiqur Rahim has played in 99 Twenty20 Internationals for Bangladesh, and he only needs one more to achieve the century mark. Read Best Individual Performers of BPL 2022 13000 International Runs Mushfiqur Rahim just needs 81 more runs to surpass the 13,000-run landmark for Bangladesh. He has a total of 12,919 runs in 447 international innings for Bangladesh. 4000 International Runs Liton Das needs 172 runs to reach 4,000 runs in international cricket for Bangladesh. Liton has 3,828 runs in 141 innings on the international level. 1000 International Runs Promising top-order batter, Najmul Hossain Shanto has 882 runs in 39 innings for Bangladesh across all formats. Najmul just needs 118 runs to get 1000 international runs. Read BPL 2022 Final: Five Reasons Behind Comilla Victorians’ Third Title Victory 250 International Wickets Left-arm medium-pacer Mustafizur Rahman is just seven wickets away from completing his 250th international wicket for Bangladesh. Mustafizur has 243 international wickets in 143 appearances for Bangladesh. 100 International Catches Both Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal are on the verge of grabbing 100 catches for Bangladesh. Shakib has 99 catches and only needs one more to reach 100. On the other hand, Tamim has 97 catches and needs three more to achieve the 100-catch mark. 50 International Catches Bangladesh's Liton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz are on their way to capturing 50 catches. Liton simply needs one catch, while Miraz requires two to reach the 50-catch milestone on the international stage. Read BAN vs AFG 2022: Momentous ODI records between Bangladesh and Afghanistan 150 International Catches Bangladesh's T20I captain, Mahmudullah Riyad needs two more catches to reach the 150-catch landmark on the international arena. Aftermath All of Bangladesh's major players are available for the bilateral home series against Afghanistan. Therefore, everyone is expecting Bangladesh to whitewash Afghanistan in both the limited-overs series. On the other side, some of the Bangladesh players have a chance to achieve multiple personal milestones during the contest if they find their best form in the contest. That is why Bangladesh's forthcoming BAN vs AFG 2022 series is anticipated to be exciting. Read AUS vs SL 2022: Australia Win T20I Series with Two Games to Spare

Bangladesh will play Afghanistan in a bilateral home series shortly after the conclusion of the BPL 2022. The fixture for this three-match ODI series has been confirmed, and the Bangladesh squad will be announced at the beginning of next week. All of the games will be played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. Bangladesh will take over first place in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points table if they win this series. Let's take a look at the full schedule for the BAN vs AFG 2022 series and Bangladesh’s ODI World Cup super league scenario.   Bangladesh-Afghanistan ODI Series 2022 Fixtures Bangladesh and Afghanistan will play a three-match One-Day International series starting on February 23. The remaining two matches will take place on February 25 and 28, respectively. All of the limited-over matches will take place in Chattogram, with a scheduled start time of 11 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time). Read Tamim finds commentary an ‘interesting’ job Bangladesh vs Afghanistan ODI Series 2022 Fixtures Date: Feb 23 | Match: 1st ODI Date: Feb 25 | Match: 2nd ODI Date: Feb 28 | Match: 3rd ODI Impact of the BAN vs AFG 2022 series in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League When Bangladesh play Afghanistan in a three-match series later this month, they have a great chance to move up to first place in the current World Cup Super League. Read BPL 2022: Chattogram march to Qualifier beating Khulna Bangladesh's main objective will be to win all of the matches and overtake all of the other teams in the Super League points table to claim the top spot. Bangladesh will receive rating points in the ICC ODI rankings if they clinch the series against Afghanistan. Bangladesh will take the lead in the points standings if they win the series against Afghanistan by a 2-1 margin. However, the Tamim Iqbal-led side would be looking to whitewash the Afghanistan national team. Read PAK vs AUS 2022: Cricket Australia Announced Test Squad for Pakistan Series Meanwhile, if Afghanistan whitewash Bangladesh, they will move up to second place in the standings. On the other hand, Bangladesh will be dropped to third place. Afghanistan may finish third if they win the series by a margin of 2-1. In such a scenario, India will be down to the fourth position. Furthermore, Afghanistan will move up to fourth place if they win one game. Top eight teams of ICC ODI World Cup Super League Points Standings England (95 points) | Bangladesh (80 points) | India (79 points) | Ireland (68 points) | Sri Lanka (62 points) | Afghanistan (60 points) | Australia (60 points) | West Indies (50 points) Bangladesh are a very competitive team at home. They have only lost one ODI match and have won eight since 2020. On the other hand, Afghanistan haven't lost an ODI since 2021, although all of its wins have been against weaker opponents. In that regard, the forthcoming series will be challenging for Afghanistan. Read ICC Men's Best Cricketer Award January 2022: Ebadot Named in Final Three Both teams will have full-strength lineups for the series. As a result, Bangladesh will be the favorites to win the series, and the hosts might potentially whitewash (3-0) Afghanistan in the three-match One-Day International series. Bottom Line Bangladesh may take first place in the ICC World Cup Super League (2020-2023) points table if they win at least two matches in the series. Bangladesh does have a decent chance of achieving the goal because they are a formidable ODI team at home. On the other hand, Afghanistan will make a huge leap forward in the points standings if they win the series. In that perspective, both teams will be motivated to perform well in the BAN vs AFG 2022 series in order to improve their present standings. Read BPL 2022: Favourites to Win Player of the Series Award