Abu Dhabi, September 16, 2025 – The Asia Cup 2025 continues to heat up as Bangladesh face Afghanistan in Match 9 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, a contest that could prove decisive in shaping the group standings.
For Bangladesh, the tournament has been a story of mixed fortunes so far. They began their campaign with a commanding seven-wicket win over Hong Kong, China, where Litton Das played a match-winning innings of 59 and the pace-spin duo of Mustafizur Rahman and Rishad Hossain impressed with the ball. However, their momentum was halted abruptly after a heavy defeat to Sri Lanka, leaving them under pressure to secure victory against Afghanistan and keep their qualification hopes alive.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, have shown their trademark flair. They demolished Hong Kong, China by 94 runs in their opening game, thanks to Sediqullah Atal’s composed 73 and Azmatullah Omarzai’s quickfire half-century. Yet, coach Jonathan Trott has cautioned his side about batting lapses, pointing out that their middle-order wobble could cost them in tighter matches.
The spotlight will likely fall on Afghanistan’s world-class spinners, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad, who will be tasked with containing the stroke-makers of Bangladesh. Litton Das remains the key figure at the top, while Tawhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali provide stability and aggression in the middle order. For the Tigers’ bowling unit, the pace trio of Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib will be crucial in targeting Afghanistan’s openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran.
Head-to-head history adds more spice. Afghanistan have beaten Bangladesh in three of their five Asia Cup meetings, though Bangladesh reminded everyone of their firepower with a record 334-run total in the 2023 edition. With both teams eyeing the knockout stage, tonight’s clash is set to be a thrilling contest of spin versus batting depth.