The Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 is in full swing, and one of the most anticipated matches of the group stage will be Bangladesh vs Afghanistan. Both the teams have made their mark in world cricket over the past decade. Known as the giant-killers, Bangladesh have emerged as a formidable limited-overs team. On the other hand, Afghanistan have emerged as the dark wolf, armed with some of the best spinners in the modern game.
This match promises explosive, high-quality cricket and some interesting individual battles. Let’s dive into the teams, key players, statistics, live score updates and predictions for this exciting encounter.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a strong squad for the tournament. Let’s us what names are there in it this time:
Wicketkeepers: Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Nurul Hasan
Batters: Mohammad Parvez Hossain, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Saif Hassan
All-rounders: Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin
Bowlers: Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam
Litton Das (WK): Aggressive opener who can set the tone early.
Towhid Hridoy: Bangladesh’s most consistent young batter in the past two years.
Mustafizur Rahman: The “Fiz” remains Bangladesh’s trump card in the death overs.
Taskin Ahmed: Leader of the pace attack, known for his bounce and accuracy.
Nasum Ahmed: Provides control with his left-arm spin, especially in middle overs.
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has again tried a new formula while choosing the squad. Let’s take a look at the product:
Wicketkeepers: Mohammad Ishaq, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Batters: Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran
All-rounders: Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf
Spinners: Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad
Pacers: Fareed Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Allah Mohammad, Naveen-ul-Haq
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK): Explosive opener who can dominate from ball one.
Ibrahim Zadran: Reliable top-order anchor capable of building long innings.
Rashid Khan: Afghanistan’s biggest weapon, equally dangerous with ball and bat.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman: Mystery spinner who thrives in powerplay overs.
Azmatullah Omarzai: Emerging all-rounder with pace and batting firepower.
In recent years, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have produced some thrilling contests across formats.
Afghanistan won by 8 runs (DLS method), 25-Jun-2024
Bangladesh won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining) (DLS method), 16-Jul-2023
Bangladesh won by 2 wickets (with 1 ball remaining), 14-Jul-2023
Afghanistan won by 7 wickets (with 9 balls remaining), 30-Aug-2022
Afghanistan won by 8 wickets (with 14 balls remaining), 05-Mar-2022
With both teams evenly matched, the clash in 2025 promises to be a close affair.
Litton Das (wk)
Tanzid Hasan
Towhid Hridoy
Shamim Hossain
Saif Hassan
Mahedi Hasan
Nurul Hasan (c/wk)
Mohammad Saifuddin
Taskin Ahmed
Mustafizur Rahman
Shoriful Islam
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
Ibrahim Zadran
Darwish Rasooli
Mohammad Nabi (c)
Azmatullah Omarzai
Karim Janat
Gulbadin Naib
Rashid Khan
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Naveen-ul-Haq
Fazalhaq Farooqi
On paper, Afghanistan look a bit stronger due to their world-class spin attack. Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmed are a trio that can trouble any batting lineup, especially on UAE pitches.
But, Bangladesh’s pace unit of Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam can make Afghanistan’s batting useless.
Litton Das vs Rashid Khan: Can Litton handle Rashid’s googlies in the middle overs?
Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Mustafizur Rahman: A contest of fearless hitting vs clever death bowling.
Towhid Hridoy vs Mujeeb Ur Rahman: The young Bangladeshi batter will face a real test against spin early on.
Shoriful Islam vs Ibrahim Zadran: Zadran’s patience against Shoriful’s left-arm pace could set the tone.
If Bangladesh bats first: Expect a score of around 155-165. Afghanistan’s spinners could restrict the chase.
If Afghanistan bats first: They’ll likely aim for more than 150, but Bangladesh pacers could keep them under control.
Overall, we can say that this match is going to be a 50-50 with both the powerful teams.
The Bangladesh vs Afghanistan match in the Asia Cup 2025 is set to be one of the most exciting matches of the group stage. Cricket fans across Asia will be eagerly watching the live score, as every run and wicket can change the balance.
Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: the Bangladesh vs AFG match in the Asia Cup 2025 will be a treat for cricket lovers around the world.
Cricket lovers! Get excited because now you are going to know about the latest Asia Cup matches, their live scores and your favorite players in detail with us – Cricbites.
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Bangladesh will rely heavily on Liton Das for a quick start. Talking about the middle order, they will focus on Tauheed Hriday and Mustafizur Rahman for success in difficult times.
Afghanistan’s strength lies in their spin attack. Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmed have the ability to control the middle overs. This makes them a dangerous opponent in T20 cricket.
The match is scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the pitch generally favors spin bowlers, adding more spice to this competition.
Bangladesh has won more matches overall, but Afghanistan has created a lot of upsets, especially in T20Is. Both the teams are very closely matched, which makes their matchup very competitive.
Afghanistan has a great spin attack, while Bangladesh has pace bowlers and batting depth. In short, we can expect such an intense game that just 1 or 2 runs can turn the tide of the entire match.