Bangladesh will be looking to avoid their second clean sweep in three series when they meet Afghanistan in the third and final ODI at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi today.
The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00pm Bangladesh Standard Time.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz-led Bangladesh have already suffered their fourth consecutive ODI series loss after they lost to Afghanistan in the first two matches of the series by five wickets and 81 runs, respectively.
After losing to the West Indies by 3-0 in December 2024 as a stand-in captain, Mehidy鈥檚 luck hasn鈥檛 improved much since he got the job full-time.
In their first two matches against the Afghans, Bangladesh鈥檚 middle order collapsed dramatically. They were down to 195-7 from 153-3 in the first match, while they lost seven wickets for just 59 runs while chasing a moderate 190 runs in the second game.聽
Mehidy said that they failed to take responsibility.
鈥業 told the boys that we needed partnerships at the top, but we couldn鈥檛 do that. We start partnerships, but we have to take responsibility, and that鈥檚 where the problem is,鈥� he said after the second match.
鈥極ur batters are not taking enough responsibility. We鈥檙e very disappointed at the moment, but we still have one more match left.
鈥楢fter that, we have another series, and we have to think about how to come back stronger. We need to improve our batting; if we don鈥檛 score in ODIs, we can鈥檛 survive,鈥� he added.
Number three batter, Najmul Hossain Shanto, has also been struggling to find his rhythm. Since scoring 77 against New Zealand in Rawalpindi during the ICC Champions Trophy, the southpaw has scored 23, 14, 0, 2, and 7 in his last five innings.
The absence of substantial scores has undoubtedly placed pressure on the middle order, which is also lacking in experience. Players such as Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan, Jaker Ali, and Nurul Hasan have not managed to rise to the occasion.
Bangladesh have Shamim Hossain as an option in the middle-order, while top-order batter Mohammad Naim joined the squad after a delay due to visa complications.
Bangladesh batters will also have to find a method to tackle the Afghanistan spinners, especially Rashid Khan, who has taken eight wickets so far in the series, including his sixth five-wicket haul in ODIs in the previous game.
Tigers鈥� spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed also advised that the batters needed to focus on the ball, not the bowler.
鈥業 think, this is my observation, I think they are playing Rashid, not the ball. He is not a big spinner of the ball, great value, he has been very experienced, and he is a wicket taker. He challenged [us] because his line length is very consistent,鈥� said Mushtaq.聽
鈥楽o I think we have to sometimes play the ball, not the bowler. So I think this is the case; we have to improve quickly,鈥� he added.
However, Bangladesh have also struggled against Azmatullah Omarzai, the current ICC ODI player of the year.
The pacer took three wickets each in the first two games while also contributing with the bat.
