Asia Cup 2022: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Head to Head Record

Asia Cup 2022: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Head to Head Stats

We’re only two matches into the Asia Cup 2022, and already the games are heating up for Asia’s best cricket teams.

Tuesday 30^th August sees Afghanistan and Bangladesh face off in the third match of pool play, where the second game in Group Two is played. With Afghanistan soundly beating Sri Lanka in their opening match, this game represents an opportunity for both teams to advance their tournament prospects.

For Afghanistan, they’ll be able to confirm their Super Four qualification with a win. For Bangladesh, a win would see them sitting pretty for qualification. And for both sides, a narrow loss would significantly help their qualification cases as well, given the margin of Sri Lanka’s defeat over the weekend.

Ahead of such a vital match, we look at the head to head record between Afghanistan and Bangladesh, breaking down what history says about who is most likely to win this clash.

Overall T20 Record Between Afghanistan and Bangladesh

Afghanistan will be heading into this match up with confidence, not only because of their comprehensive win over Sri Lanka, but because of their past record against Bangladesh.

The two sides have met eight times in T20Is, and of those eight matches, Afghanistan have won five. Given that Afghanistan are consistently ranked lower than Bangladesh (currently, Bangladesh are No.9 in the world, while Afghanistan are No.10), this is an impressive record against a superior opponent.

Their first meeting was back in 2014, and saw Bangladesh come out the victor by a significant margin—nine wickets. However, this was to be short-lived, as Afghanistan went on to win the next five in a row across 2018 and 2019.

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Previous Meetings Between Afghanistan and Bangladesh

Here’s a look at how the last eight T20Is have played out between Afghanistan and Bangladesh:

As we can see, the highest margins of victory have both been in Bangladeshi victories, with a 61 run win earlier in 2022, and a nine wicket win in their first meeting in 2014.

The closest encounter was in 2018, when Bangladesh fell one run short of Afghanistan’s total of 145/6. The match ended in dramatic fashion, with a boundary being saved, causing a run out that saw Bangladesh end on 144/6 in response.

Most Recent Meeting Between Afghanistan and Bangladesh

The clock only needs to be rewound a handful of months, to come across the last meeting between these two sides.

In March 2022, Afghanistan came away victors by eight wickets, in a day/night match played in Mirpur.

Bangladesh struggled their way to 115/9, with Mushfiqur Rahim top scoring on 30 off 25. A weak batting performance saw five batters fall in single figures, and seven have a strike rate under 100. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai led the bowling attack, taking three wickets apiece at economies under six per over.

In reply, Afghanistan lost Rahmanullah early, before Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani combined for a 99 run partnership, seeing their team to a strong position. Zazai ended unbeaten on 59 off 45, and the eight wicket win was sealed.

Bangladesh vs Afghanistan in Asia Cup Head to Head

While Bangladesh have appeared in 12 Asia Cups, Afghanistan have only qualified for the Asia Cup on two previous occasions. On both of these occasions, in 2014 and 2018, the Asia Cup was played in ODI format, and Afghanistan and Bangladesh played each other.

Asia Cup 2014

Their first meeting, a day/night match in 2014, saw Bangladesh win the toss and choose to field. Afghanistan posted a solid total of 254/6, with Asghar Stanikzai top scoring on 90 from 103, and Arafat Sunny taking 2/44. In reply, Bangladesh were scuttled for 222 off 47.5 overs, Mominul Haque the only batsman to pass 50 as Mohammad Nabi took 3/44, leading Afghanistan to a 32 run win.

Asia Cup 2018

Their second Asia Cup meeting also saw Afghanistan win, this time in even more dominant fashion—a 136 run victory, that saw Afghanistan qualify for the Super Four for the first time. Again, Afghanistan batted first, posting 255/7 with Hashmatullah Shahidi top scoring on 58 from 92. The Afghan bowling unit then flexed its muscles, rolling Bangladesh for 119 off 42.1 overs, with Rashid Khan his usual economic best, taking 2/13 off nine overs.

Asia Cup 2018—Super Four

However, Bangladesh has had the last laugh in Asia Cup matches. Meeting again in the 2018 Super Four phase, Bangladesh took revenge for their earlier loss, pipping Afghanistan by three runs. This time, the men in green batted first, posting 249/7 with Mahmudullah making 74 from 81. In reply, Afghanistan could only manage 246/7 from their 50 overs, Hasmatullah Shahidi unable to steer his side to victory, despite again posting a half century, this time 71 off 99.

Tuesday’s game will be the first meeting between Afghanistan and Bangladesh at the Asia Cup in T20 format, and the fourth overall, with Afghanistan leading the Asia Cup head to head 2-1.

Key Head to Head Statistics in Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Matches

In T20Is between the two sides, there are a few pertinent statistics to note.

Firstly, Afghanistan tend to have the most success batting first, with three of their five wins coming by setting a total. Their highest score batting first has been 167.

Secondly, games tend to be fairly low scoring compared to T20Is in general, with Afghanistan scoring an average of 129.5 runs, compared to Bangladesh’s 128.3 runs across the eight matches. Afghanistan’s minimum total has been 72, while Bangladesh’s has been 78.

This shows us that we can expect the team which wins the toss to bat first. Given Afghanistan’s bowling power, they will be eager to post 120+ runs and then back themselves to defend it, as they’ve proven is possible against Bangladesh.

Chances are, this will be a game dominated by bowlers, rather than big hits and large totals.

Also Read: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Match Prediction