The third game of the 2023 Asia Cup in the One Day International (ODI) series is set to take place on Saturday, September 2nd, 2023. The competing teams will be Pakistan and India, and the venue for this exciting match will be the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, located in Pallekele.

Bangladesh’s debut in this edition of the Asia Cup got off to a rocky start when they suffered a substantial five-wicket defeat at the hands of defending champions Sri Lanka in their opening match. In a challenging group, Bangladesh finds themselves in a must-win situation against Afghanistan in this upcoming clash to keep their hopes alive for advancing to the next stage of the tournament. Afghanistan, on the other hand, is set to make its tournament debut. They face the same imperative – securing a victory in this match and subsequently defeating Sri Lanka – in order to secure a spot in the Super Four matches.

Bangladesh’s performance in the first match against Sri Lanka was a complete collapse, leaving them with a crucial must-win situation in the upcoming game. They faced significant challenges in all aspects of the game during the previous match. Despite winning the toss and opting to bat first, their batting lineup struggled immensely, managing a mere 164 runs before the entire team was dismissed in just 42.4 overs.

Najmul Hossain Shanto stood out as the only batsman who performed admirably, contributing 89 runs from 122 balls, which included seven boundaries. The rest of the batting order failed to make a significant impact, with Towhid Hridoy scoring 20 runs and Mohammad Naim tallying just 16. Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz struggled to put substantial runs on the board.

On the bowling front, Bangladesh’s unit also faltered, conceding 165 runs in 39 overs. Captain Shakib Al Hasan was the standout bowler, securing two wickets in his ten-over spell while giving away 29 runs. Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, and Mahedi Hasan each managed to claim one wicket. However, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mustafizur Rahman were unable to secure any wickets during their respective spells.

Afghanistan is gearing up for its tournament debut, and their path to securing a spot among the top four teams in this competition requires victories against both Bangladesh and the defending champions, Sri Lanka. In this tournament, Hashmatullah Shahidi has taken on the role of Afghanistan’s new leader, responsible for guiding their batting lineup, which includes Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, and Seliman Safi. Rahmat Shah is the sole batting all-rounder in Afghanistan’s squad, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ikram Alikhil serve as the team’s wicket-keeper batsmen.

It is expected that Rahmanullah Gurbaz will have ample opportunities to showcase his skills throughout the tournament. Afghanistan’s primary strength lies in their bowling department, and there are high hopes for their bowlers to deliver outstanding performances against Bangladesh’s batting lineup. Afghanistan has a history of producing exceptional spin bowlers, exemplified by Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, both of whom possess the ability to dismantle even the most formidable batting orders in the world. The contributions of these seasoned bowlers will be pivotal in this series. Additionally, Afghanistan boasts other bowling all-rounders like Gulbadin Naib, Karim Jannat, and Sharafuddin Ashraf in their squad. Leading the bowling unit for Afghanistan will be Mujeeb Ur Rahman, supported by Noor Ahmad and Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Afghanistan boasts a formidable and experienced ODI cricket team, making them, at least on paper, a strong contender compared to Bangladesh. According to Asia Cup predictions, Afghanistan holds the status of the favored team to emerge victorious in this 4th Match. Several key factors contribute to this assessment:

• Afghanistan’s overall strength and experience surpass that of Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh’s batsmen are likely to face challenges in accumulating runs against the formidable duo of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi.
• Afghanistan possesses greater power-hitting capabilities compared to Bangladesh.
• The Afghan bowling unit is both robust and seasoned.

These factors collectively bolster Afghanistan’s position as the team to watch in this matchup.

Afghanistan has assembled a blend of experienced and youthful talents in the realm of ODI cricket. Their batting lineup is robust, featuring some renowned power-hitters in the ODI format, which significantly boosts their prospects of winning today’s match. The forecast for the outcome of today’s cricket match, the 4th Match, is as follows:

Afghanistan holds a 58% probability of winning this 4th Match.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, possesses a 42% chance of clinching victory in this 4th Match.

The toss will wield significant influence over the outcomes of all Asia Cup 2023 matches. Posting a substantial total on the scoreboard carries considerable advantage, especially in these high-stakes encounters. As per the toss prediction, the team winning the toss is likely to opt for batting first.

The upcoming 4th match of Asia Cup ODI 2023 is set to take place at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. The pitch at this venue is presenting a relatively flat surface characterized by substantial pace and bounce. However, compared to other pitches we’ve witnessed, it tends to be slower, providing favorable conditions for spinners. It’s anticipated that as the match progresses, the pitch will further decelerate, posing challenges for batsmen in this 4th Match. A target in the range of 270 to 280 runs would be quite challenging to pursue.

The weather outlook for Lahore indicates high temperatures, which will certainly test the physical endurance of the players. While there are predictions of scattered clouds on match day, there is no indication of rain in the weather forecast. Consequently, we anticipate that the 4th Match will proceed without any interruptions, allowing for an uninterrupted contest.

In their ODI encounters, Bangladesh has squared off against Afghanistan a total of 14 times. Of these, Bangladesh emerged victorious in 8 matches, while Afghanistan claimed victory in 6 matches.

Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rashid Patel, Mohammad Nabi, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran.

It will be updated shortly

• Date: Sunday, 3rd September 2023
• Time: 09:30 AM GMT / 02:30 PM LOCAL / 03:00 PM IST

• Stadium: Gaddafi Stadium
• Location: Lahore, Pakistan
• Opened: 1959
• Capacity: 27,000
• Known as: Lahore Stadium
• Ends: Pavilion End, College End
• Time Zone: UTC +05:00
• Home to: Lahore
• Other Sports: It is home to Hockey
• Floodlights: Yes

• Total matches: 69
• Matches won batting first: 34
• Matches won bowling first: 33
• Average 1st Inns scores: 251
• Average 2nd Inns scores: 215
• Highest total recorded: 375/3 (50 Ov) by PAK vs ZIM
• Lowest total recorded: 75/10 (22.5 Ov) by PAK vs SL
• Highest score chased: 349/4 (49 Ov) by PAK vs AUS
• Lowest score defended: 170/8 (40 Ov) by WI vs PAK

Shakib Al Hasan (C), Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Hasan Mahmud, Afif Hossain, Anamul Haque, Nasum Ahmed, Shamim Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mohammad Naim, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.