Bangladesh U19 and Afghanistan U19 are set to lock horns in the Only Youth Test, starting Wednesday, September 22 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
The two teams recently took part in a five-match ODI series, which Bangladesh won 3-2. Bangladesh sealed the fate of the series by taking a 3-0 lead, showing their dominance in home conditions. However, Afghanistan won the last two games to salvage some pride.
In their final game, Afghanistan won by three wickets with as many balls remaining. Batting first, Bangladesh huffed and puffed to 155 in 47.4 overs. Abdullah Al Mamum top-scored for them with a 82-ball 37. Bangladesh made a recovery after being reduced to 82 for six.
Bilal Sami and Nangeyalia Kharote picked up three wickets each. Izharulhaq Navdeep and Shahidullah Hasan got two scalps each. In the run-chase, Ashikur Zaman picked up three wickets to push Afghanistan back on the backfoot.
However, Ishaq Zazai’s 79-ball 52 guided them through. He played until the 31st over before becoming Zaman’s third victim. Skipper Ijaz Ahmed and Izharulhaq Naveed also played useful cameos lower down the batting order.
Match Details:
Match: Bangladesh U19 vs Afghanistan U19, only Youth Test
Date and Time: September 22, 2021 Wednesday, 10:30 AM IST
Venue: Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet
Weather report:
Conditions will be cloudy with temperatures around the 27-degree Celsius mark. There is a chance of a downpour and hence, there could be short interruptions.
Pitch Report:
The pitch in Sylhet has generally assisted the spinners to a large extent. Fast bowlers may not have a major role to play. Batting is expected to become difficult as the game progresses.
Predicted Playing XIs
Bangladesh U19
Aich Mollah’s form will be critical for Bangladesh in the match. The batter scored 148 runs in the ODIs with a top score of 108. Tahjibul Islam and Abdullah Al Mamun also looked in pretty good rhythm. Naimur Rohman was the leading wicket-taker for Bangladesh with 13 scalps.
Playing XI: Mahfijul Islam, Iftikher Hossain, Ariful Islam, Aich Mollah, SM Meherob, Tahjibul Islam, Abdullah Al Mamun, Golam Kibrai, Naimur Rohman, Ashikur Zaman, Mushfik Hasan
Afghanistan U19
Skipper Ijaz Ahmad was the leading run-scorer for Afghanistan in the ODIs, having scored 80 runs. Bilal Ahmad and Ishaq Zazai have also done well with the bat in hand. Izharulhaq Naveed has put in all-round performances, having scored 51 runs and picking up 11 wickets at an economy of 3.07.
Playing XI: Sabawoon Banoori, Suliman Arabzai, Ishaq Zazai, Mohammadullah Najibullah, Bilal Ahmad, Ijaz Ahmad, Nangeyalia Kharote, Izharulhaq Naveed, Bilal Sami, Shahidullah Hasani, Navdeed Zadran
Match prediction:
Bangladesh have a bunch of decent spinners who will be looking to make use of the conditions at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Bangladesh are expected to win the one-off Youth Test.
TV and live streaming details:
TV: N/A
Live Streaming: N/A
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