Afghanistan will look to build on its commanding start to the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup when it faces Bangladesh in its second group-stage match on Tuesday at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Afghanistan opened its campaign last week with a 94-run victory over Hong Kong, highlighted by a record-setting innings from Azmatullah Omarzai and a steady knock from Sediqullah Atal. Captain Rashid Khan’s side posted 188-6 after electing to bat, with Atal anchoring the innings at 73 not out and veteran Mohammad Nabi adding 33. Omarzai smashed 53 off just 21 balls, reaching his half-century in 20 deliveries — the fastest by an Afghan in T20 internationals.
The bowlers then sealed the win as Fazalhaq Farooqi struck in the opening over and Omarzai added another scalp, helping dismiss Hong Kong for 94 in the final over. Omarzai collected Player of the Match honors, while Atal was named Game Changer. The match also marked the 50th T20 appearance for opener Ibrahim Zadran, a key figure with more than 1,300 career runs.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, heads into the clash with mixed form but has won two of its last five T20s against Afghanistan. Overall, Afghanistan holds the edge in recent meetings with three victories in the past five encounters.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board said players have been training intensely ahead of the Bangladesh match, sharing images of practice sessions in Abu Dhabi on social media.
The Group 9 fixture will be played Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. local time.
