Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, World Cup 2023 Match 3: Head-to ...

Bangladesh are set to kickstart their 2023 World Cup campaign against Afghanistan at the iconic Dharamshala's HPCA Stadium on Saturday morning. This would be World Cup's first day-game in the current edition; however, the backdrop for the Bangladesh team has been anything but serene. A cloud of controversies and internal differences, particularly involving star players Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, has cast a shadow over the team's preparations.

Shakib Al Hasan (R) plays a shot as Afghanistan's wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz (L) looks on(AFP)

With Tamim notably absent from the World Cup squad, Bangladesh face the critical challenge of putting aside the distractions and focusing on the tournament's all-important opener.

On the other side, Afghanistan, known for their resilience as underdogs, enter the tournament with a reputation for inflicting upsets. While they recently suffered a defeat to Bangladesh in the Asia Cup last month, the Afghan side will draw inspiration from its remarkable 2-1 series victory over Bangladesh earlier this year.

While Bangladesh seek redemption and unity, Afghanistan aim to defy the odds and further solidify their status as giant-killers, and as both teams prepare for the clash, let's take a look at some of the key stats ahead of the game:

Matches: 15

Bangladesh win: 9

Afghanistan win: 6

No result: 0

Matches: 2

Bangladesh win: 2

Afghanistan win: 0

No result: 0

In their most recent five encounters, Afghanistan have secured victory on three occasions, holding the upper hand with a 3-2 record against Bangladesh. However, it's worth noting that they lost the two most recent meeting against the Bangladeshi side.

Bangladesh - L, L, W, L L (last five completed ODI matches)

Afghanistan - L, L, L, L, L (last five completed ODI matches)

Bangladesh has an opportunity to clinch their third-consecutive opening match of a World Cup campaign, having previously defeated Afghanistan (in 2015) and South Africa (in 2019). In contrast, Afghanistan has lost both of their previous World Cup opening matches. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, meanwhile, is on the cusp of a significant milestone, needing just 41 more runs to have an impressive record of 1000 runs and 10 wickets in World Cup history; he already holds the record for the most wickets with 34.

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