With Rashid Khan and company returning to the ODI setup, Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan expects Afghanistan to push for spin-friendly pitches in the upcoming tri-series, which also features Zimbabwe.
Afghanistan have fielded a pace-heavy attack in the ongoing one-off Test, with Mohammad Saleem, Yamin Ahmadzai and Ismat Alam sharing the new-ball duties, while Ziaur Rahman and Qais Ahmad are the two specialist spinners in the XI. However, their bowling combination is likely to look different in the ODIs, with Mohammad Nabi, AM Ghazanfar and Nangyali Khan named in the 15-member squad alongside Rashid.
“I think they (Afghanistan) will try to back their strong zone and their spin attack (in the ODIs) is good,” Nurul told reporters at the airport before departing for the UAE. “So I feel they may opt for a little bit more spinning wicket,” he said.
Nurul added that the inclusion of mystery spinner Aliss Al Islam could prove decisive for Bangladesh in the tri-series. “Aliss has been doing well for a long time and I definitely think that is good for the Bangladesh team. Having a mystery spinner like that when we play abroad, I think every team has some bowlers (mystery) like him and I feel that can be a very good aspect for the Bangladesh team from that point of view,” he said.
Nurul said Bangladesh would be targeting the title, with a successful campaign expected to boost their confidence ahead of the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup.
“I think that if we play as a team, we should play the final and become champions,” said Nurul. “We have two big tournaments in the ODI format, the Asia Cup and then the World Cup. So I think it’s a good platform and if we can do well here the confidence will also be boosted up ahead of the Asia Cup and World Cup,” he said.
The wicketkeeper-batter also acknowledged the challenging conditions in the UAE but insisted that the heat would not be an excuse, having been a talking point ahead of the ongoing Test.
“It’s a little hot, but I think it’ll be equal for both teams. So we’ll try to adjust as much as we can through whatever capability we have,” he concluded.
Bangladesh’s ODI squad members left Dhaka for the UAE on Tuesday to join the players currently involved in the ongoing one-off Test against Afghanistan and prepare for the tri-series, which begins in Abu Dhabi on October 17.
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