Sharjah Cricket Stadium pitch report: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Sharjah pitch report for Asia Cup 2022

Sharjah Cricket Stadium pitch report: High-in confidence Afghanistan will take on Bangladesh in the second match of ‘Group B’ today.

Brimming high in confidence and self-belief, the Mohammad Nabi-led Afghanistan side will take on Bangladesh in the second ‘Group B’ match of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium today.

The Afghans nailed pretty much every aspect of their game during the Asia Cup 2022 opener versus Sri Lanka, as they decimated them by 8 wickets a couple of days ago. While the new ball fast-bowlers punctured the Sri Lankan top-order within the Powerplay itself, the experienced spin-bowling trio of Mujeeb, Rashid, and Nabi were up to the task during the middle Overs, to restrict them to just over the 100-run mark while batting first.

In reply, the opening batting pair of Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz nailed the chase with aggression and finesse in mere 10.1 Overs, to come up with a statement of sorts.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have very little good memories worth cherishing in the T20 format for some time now. During their previous four T20I series since last year, not once have they ended up as the series winners, while playing against the likes of Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, West Indies, and Pakistan in the period.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium pitch report

The last T20I at the Sharjah Cricket stadium took place between Scotland and Pakistan in November last year, during the ICC T20 World Cup.

Although the relatively smaller boundary dimensions in this venue, present the batters with a wonderful opportunity to clear the fence, the average score across the 25 T20Is here since 2013 has been mere 146.6 runs.

In the past one year, spinners have trumped the pacers in terms of average, strike rate, and the economy rate. Thus, akin the first match of Asia Cup 2022, the Afghan experienced spin-bowling trio might well come into the game right from the get-go, while Bangladesh’s Shakib-al-Hasan and Mahedi Hasan will also pose a threat.

All in all, the pitch at Sharjah today, is likely to assist the bowlers more than the batters.