Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz elected to bat first after winning the toss against Afghanistan in the third and decisive ODI in Sharjah. Miraz took over the captaincy duties from Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was ruled out due to a groin injury.
In a significant change, Bangladesh rested senior pacer Taskin Ahmed for the series decider. Zakir Hasan and debutant fast bowler Nahid Rana were brought in as replacements for Shanto and Taskin, respectively. Rana, a 22-year-old right-arm pacer, has impressed selectors with his ability to consistently bowl at 140kph.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi opted to field the same playing XI that lost the second ODI by 68 runs. The Afghans had won the first game by 92 runs, giving them a 1-0 lead in the series.
Afghanistan:
1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
2. Sediqullah Atal
3. Rahmat Shah
4. Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt)
5. Azmatullah Omarzai
6. Mohammad Nabi
7. Gulbadin Naib
8. Rashid Khan
9. AM Ghazanfar
10. Nangeyalia Kharote
11. Fazalhaq Farooqi
Bangladesh:
1. Soumya Sarkar
2. Tanzid Hasan Tamim
3. Zakir Hasan
4. Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt)
5. Towhid Hridoy
6. Mahmudullah
7. Jaker Ali (wk)
8. Nasum Ahmed
9. Nahid Rana
10. Shoriful Islam
11. Mustafizur Rahman
The match is crucial for both teams, as Afghanistan seeks to clinch the series victory while Bangladesh aims to level the series and force a decider.
