ICC World Cup: Bangladesh win toss, opt to bowl first against Afghanistan

The Tigers have won the toss and decided to bowl first in their Word Cup opener against Afghanistan on Saturday.

T Sports and Gazi TV in Bangladesh are providing the live coverage of the match from Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala of India from 11:00 am.

"Will field first, generally it is a ground where the team chases well," skipper Shakib Al Hasan told the broadcaster after winning the toss, reports BSS.

"Some help for the seamers first up and we would like to capitalise on that. I am happy that I am representing my country for the fifth time in the World Cup. We have to focus on our skills and not think too much. We have the team to do well."

Bangladesh however fielded a batting-heavy side, including Mahmudullah Riyad in the XI as they opted out the spin of Nasum Ahmed.

After showing good performance in the practise game, Bangladesh kept faith on Tanzid Hasan Tamim as he would open the innings with Liton Das.

Apart from Shakib, this will be the fifth World Cup of Bangladesh veteran Mushfiqur Rahim also. In fact, amongst the current crop of players, they are the only two who played in the 2007 World Cup.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi emphasised on to bat well after losing the crucial toss.

"We are excited and we will enjoy ourselves. This time we are more confident, we have prepared well and I am confident we will do well in this World Cup. We need to score more runs and put them under pressure, that's our goal. A lot of boys played in the IPL and India was our home ground earlier. That will help us a lot," Shahidi said.

UNB report says Dharamsala, the venue for this match, is not only the smallest in this World Cup but also in India. The weather has been favourable in the morning, with a very low chance of rain, as per the forecast.

Afghanistan has emerged as a formidable opponent for Bangladesh in recent years. With key players like Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan, they pose a significant challenge, and the addition of talents like Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujib-ur-Rahman strengthens their lineup.

Bangladesh maintains a favourable head-to-head record in ODIs, having won 9 out of 15 encounters with Afghanistan, who secured victories in 6 matches.

In previous World Cup encounters, Bangladesh faced Afghanistan twice and emerged victorious on both occasions.

Line Ups:

Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.