Afghanistan vs Bangladesh 2nd T20I Match Preview: Can Afghanistan Make a Comeback to Stay Alive?

Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan in the 1st T20I at Sharjah after surviving a batting collapse. Afghanistan would be feeling a bit disappointed, as they didn’t get a strong start in the series. Now, they face a must-win clash to remain alive in the series. It is a game that will test their nerves, because playing under pressure is never easy for any team.

The recently concluded Asia Cup 2025 was also a disappointment for the Afghanistan team, because they were eliminated from the tournament in the first round. After facing this setback, the Afghan team hoped that they could get off to a winning start in this series. However, their batting backfired badly in the 1st T20I at Sharjah. If they want to win the second game, they need to fix the issues in batting quickly.

It should be noted that Afghanistan also had similar batting issues in the Asia Cup. Their openers struggled in all the matches, which is why they failed to win games and qualify for the second round. Now, the ongoing series with Bangladesh has once again highlighted similar issues. It is important to fix them quickly, because the all-important T20I World Cup is approaching fast next year.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh started the series with a solid performance against Afghanistan. Besides the batting collapse, they didn’t do anything wrong in the last match. Now, they need to capitalize on this start in the second game that will be played on the same ground. They need to repeat the same bowling performance in the Powerplay, as that will give them an edge over the struggling Afghanistan team.

The second T20I would be therefore a good contest, because Afghanistan will try to clinch the victory to stay alive in the series. Let’s take a look at how both teams are preparing for this clash that could decide the course of the series.

A Quick Recap of the 1st T20I Between Afghanistan and Bangladesh

The first T20I between Afghanistan and Bangladesh was a nail-biting thriller. It gave us a glimpse of how few good overs can turn matches into an exhilarating encounter. Batting first, Afghanistan scored a formidable total of 151 against Bangladesh at Sharjah. It looked like a good score, until Bangladesh came out to bat with all guns blazing in the second innings.  

The opening duo of Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon ripped apart the Afghanistan bowling. Due to their solid start, Bangladesh was looking well set to win the match within 15 overs. But then, the batting collapse came and Afghanistan seized the opportunity to build enormous pressure on Bangladesh. Luckily, Nurul Hasan rescued the tigers from a terrible position. He played a crucial knock of 23 runs that gave Bangladesh a vital victory in the first game of the series.

Afghanistan Squad Analysis for 2nd T20I

Afghanistan is currently facing a stern question of opening and middle order batting. They have good names in the squad that could resolve this problem. In the 2nd T20I, they need to pick a combination that can play the Powerplay properly. The issue is that Ibrahim Zadran isn’t looking in good touch, so he will need to rethink his position in the Afghanistan batting lineup.

Besides opening, there are big loopholes in the middle order batting. Afghanistan will need to adjust Mohammad Nabi somewhere at the 4th or 5th position to provide stability in the middle order. If they choose to do it effectively, they could produce a different result in batting in the second game against Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Squad Analysis for 2nd T20I

Bangladesh does not have as many questions as their opponents have in batting. They just need to find a batter at the 5th or 6th position that can finish the game effectively. They have plenty of names to fulfill this role, such as Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Rishad Hossain and others.

It is expected that Bangladesh will choose the same Playing XI for the second match of the series. This time, they will make sure to not repeat the same batting collapse again. It was indeed a very terrible phase of the game that gave Bangladesh a reality check of how things can change quickly in T20I matches.

Possible XI of Afghanistan for 2nd T20I

1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Darwish Rasooli, 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Noor Ahmad, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Fareed Ahmad Malik, 11 Bashir Ahmad

Possible XI of Bangladesh for 2nd T20I

1 Parvez Hossain Emon, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Saif Hassan, 4 Shamim Hossain, 5 Jaker Ali, 6 Nurul Hasan, 7 Nasum Ahmed, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Match Predication

Keeping in view how the pitch played in the 1st T20I, both teams will try to bowl first in the second game. It would be interesting to see how batters play in the first innings, because the Afghan lineup produced a very disappointing performance in the last game. They will need to come up with a quick solution in batting, otherwise, Bangladesh will again come hard at them to seal the series with a dominant victory.