Bangladesh v Afghanistan preview, player tips & predictions

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MATCH INFO
Bangladesh v Afghanistan
Venue: Hampshire Bowl, Southampton, Monday, June 24, 10.30am (British time)
Head to head odds: Bangladesh $1.20; Afghanistan $4.50
Last time they met: Bangladesh 7-249 (50 overs) d Afghanistan 7-246 (50 overs) in Abu Dhabi, September 23, 2018.

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This cricket World Cup clash has taken on huge extra interest following the shock defeat of favourites England by Sri Lanka on Friday.

All of a sudden Bangladesh are in a position to exert enormous pressure on the host nation, and others among a seemingly settled top four teams.

A victory here for the Tigers, and they should have too much batting firepower for the winless Afghanistan team, and they are right in the mix for the semi-finals, with matches against India and Pakistan to come.

With England up against the in-form Australia on Tuesday, no doubt local funs will be keeping an eye on this game and cheering for an upset win for Afghanistan.

The World Gambling List’s cricket tipsters have been a little surprised but thrilled at the outstanding batting displays turned in by Bangladesh, in particular champion all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.

The Hampshire Bowl has been a relatively low-scoring venue during this ICC World Cup, but it should be noted that the big guns of the tournament that have played here have not batted first.

Also, at the time of writing India and Afghanistan had yet to play their match at the venue on Saturday, so it is worth scouring that result for any hint about whether the pacemen or spinners may rule. Or indeed if that bat has dominated the ball.

And as always keep an eye on the weather and check out best British bookie William Hill on the day of the match for any enhanced odds offerings.

This Bangladesh v Afghanistan betting preview will run you through betting options for match 31 of 48 of the ICC World Cup 2019.

Bangladesh v Afghanistan odds:

For full markets visit the William Hill website.

HEAD TO HEAD BETTING:
Bangladesh $1.20, Afghanistan $4.50
Prediction: The Tigers of Bangladesh have been far more accomplished with the willow than their rivals here. They need to win this match to stay in the mix and we expect them to do so.

TOP RUN-SCORER BETTING:

Bangladesh:
Top five in betting: Tamim Iqbal $3.25, Shakib Al Hasan $3.75, Soumya Sarkar $4.33, Mushfiqur Rahim $5.5, Liton Das $8.

Top scorers from past five ODIs:
v Australia: Mushfiqur Rahim 102no
v West Indies: Shakib Al Hasan 124no
v Sri Lanka: Match abandoned
v England: Shakib Al Hasan 121
v New Zealand: Shakib Al Hasan 64

Afghanistan:
Top five in betting: Rahmat Shah $4, Hashmatulla Shahidi $4.50, Hazratullah Zazai $5, Noor Ali Zadran $5.50, Gulbadin Naib $7.

Top scorers from past five ODIs:
v India: Mohammad Nabi 52
v England: Hashmatulla Shahidi 76
v South Africa: Rashid Khan 35
v New Zealand: Hashmatulla Shahidi 59
v Sri Lanka: Najibullah Zadran 43

Top batter prediction: Sometimes the best bet is the obvious bet. Shakib Al Hasan has made two big hundreds against strong bowling attacks and we are surprised he is not shorter than $3.75. That will do us nicely. We have had some luck with the top batter for Afghanistan, tipping Rashid Khan at big odds against South Africa. This time we think the Afghani Gayle, Hazratullah Zazai, is due to break the shackles, so will try him at $5.

TOP WICKET-TAKER BETTING:

Bangladesh:
Top five in betting: Mustafizur Rahman $3.75, Shakib Al Hasan $4.50, Rubel Hossain $4.50, Mehidy Hasan $4.50, Mohammad Saifuddin $4.50, Abu Jayed $4.50.

Top wicket-takers from past five ODIs:
v Australia: Soumya Sarkar 3-58
v West Indies: Mohammad Saifuddin 3-72, Mustafizur Rahman 3-59
v Sri Lanka: Match abandoned
v England: Mohammad Saifuddin 2-78, Mehidy Hasan 2-67
v New Zealand: Shakib Al Hasan 2-47, Mehidy Hasan 2-47, Mohammad Saifuddin 2-41, Mosaddek Hossain 2-31

Afghanistan:
Top five in betting: Rashid Khan $3, Mujeeb Ur Rahman $5, Mohammad Nabi $4.50, Dawlat Zadran $5.50, Gulbadin Naib $5.50, Aftab Alam $5.50.

Top wicket-takers from past five ODIs:
v India: Mohammad Nabi 2-33, Gulbadin Naib 2-51
v England: Dawlat Zadran 3-85, Gulbadin Naib 3-68
v South Africa: Gulbadin Naib 1-29
v New Zealand: Aftab Alam 3-45
v Sri Lanka: Mohammad Nabi 4-30

Top bowler tip: The WGL team fully expected Rashid Khan to be a star with the ball in this tournament but that has yet to eventuate with just three wickets before the India game at 74.66. On the other hand Dawlat Zadran has proven effective so we will back him at the $5.50. For Bangladesh, young medium-pacer Mohammad Saifuddin has been most successful overall and he will do us against an Afghanistan batting line-up that has not set the world on fire.

WGL best bets: Bangladesh v Afghanistan

Each of our ICC World Cup betting previews will highlight some potential wins for punters, or where our cricket tipsters think there is value to be found.

Shakib Al Hasan man of the match at $6

This all-rounder has been among the world’s bets for years and is at the peak of his powers. He is a little short in the betting but just looks a class above the rest of the players in this match on current form. He could easily notch up 50-plus and grab three wickets.

Bangladesh v Afghanistan prediction

We have warmed to the Tigers on the back of strong performances every time they have stepped out. But just a note of caution: they only lead 4-3 in the ODI head to head record against Afghanistan, so the latter will go in with some confidence. Still, Tigers for us this time. Will be a fascinating clash.

ALSO READ:
ICC World Cup 2019 betting guide
ICC World Cup 2019 leading wicket-taker
Cricket betting sites
ICC World Cup 2019 leading run-scorer
ICC World Cup 2019 player of tournament

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