World Twenty20: Bangladesh have upper hand in opener against Afghanistan

Zee Media Bureau/Chaitan Papnai

The fifth edition of the ICC World Twenty20 is to kick start from Sunday when the host nation Bangladesh will lock horns with minnows Afghanistan in the opening match of the coveted tournament. It would be a revenge match for Bangladesh as they have recently lost to Afghanistan in the Asia Cup. On papers, Bangladesh have certainly a strong team. And playing in front of the home crowd will also give some them some edge. Their skipper Mushfiqur Rahim is in excellent form with the bat and has to lead his team from the front. In Shakib Al Hasan they have a world class all-rounder, who can change the fortunes of the game single handedly. Their openers are in decent form too, but to beat the spirited Afghanistan they have to play as a unit. Afghanistan, however, must be high on confidence after their impressive performance in the recently concluded Asia Cup, which also took place in Bangladesh. As far as their bowling line up is concerned they have bowlers who can stop Bangladeshi batsmen to score runs quickly. But their batting line-up is quite vulnerable which has the tendency to collapse at any moment. Though, Bangladesh will be the favourites to win the opening match of the 16-nation event, they have to execute their plans well to come out triumphant.