Couch Critic provides his betting tips for the test match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan which gets underway in Chittagong on Thursday 5th September
SETTING THE SCENE
Who would have thought that there could be some considerable interest in a test match between the ninth and tenth ranked teams, also considering the side in tenth are newbies to the test game? Yet this match deserves plenty of interest and it’s actually a shame that we only get this one-off test match in Bangladesh between these two Asian sides.
Despite the modest position of Bangladesh on the ICC rankings and the fact that the Afghans have only played two tests thus far there are a number of star international performers on show in Chattogram over the next five days. The leg-sinning sensation, Rashid Khan has been thrust into leading his troops and along with the all-round efforts of Mohamed Nabi it will be interesting to watch these stars who have become household names thanks mostly to their T20 exploits around the globe. This one-off match will also see the number one all-rounder in the world, Shakib Al Hasan in action. He too has been tasked with leading his nation on this occasion.
LET’S TALK TACTICS
Bangladesh might not be the most formidable test side but playing them in their own backyard is a challenge not to be taken lightly by non-sub-continent teams. The home side could in all likelihood roll out four spin bowlers to take advantage of what is usually a conducive home pitch. In this case Afghanistan’s main weapon, the young skipper himself – Rashid, will be relishing the conditions that should await him. He will also be backed up by a few other spin options. If spin bowling is something you enjoy then this test is one not to be missed!
Apart from all the spinners on show the hosts have a solid looking middle order in the form of Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib and Mahmudullah. If Afghanistan are going to try and compete with Al Hasan and his men then they will need a good amount of runs from their own batsmen. Hashmatullah Shahidi and Asghar Afghan need to step up in this regard.
HOW I SEE IT PLAYING OUT
Their opponents won’t be caught out by the slow turning conditions but the Bangladeshi’s have considerably more experience in the longer form of the game to see them come up trumps in this one.
There is no getting away from the quality that is Shakib. He won’t be batting as high up in the order given his bowling burden in tests but he should still be in a good position to score some runs and I definitely expect a good haul of wickets as well.
Mushfiqur has developed from a keeper who can bat into one of Bangladesh’s finest batsman. I think the odds look decent on him to keep performing in his top order spot.
He usually bats a bit lower down the order but Nabi has an uncomplicated style and good fighting spirit. I doubt he will need to score much more than 50 to be in the running for the top scorer here.
Best Bets with BETOLIMP:
Man of the Match – Shakib al-Hasan @ 6.80
Top Bangladesh 1st Innings Batsman – M Rahim @ 5.50
Top Afghanistan 1st Innings Batsman – M Nabi @ 5.50
Note, odds quoted are available at the time of writing but are subject to change
Couch Critic
