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Bangladesh will face Afghanistan in a must-win encounter in the final group-stage match of the UAE ODI Tri-Series on Wednesday, as they fight to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive.
The match will begin at 5:30pm Bangladesh time at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Bangladesh suffered a 99-run defeat to Zimbabwe in their opening match, leaving them in a difficult position.
They must beat Afghanistan by a substantial margin to improve their net run rate and overtake Zimbabwe in the standings.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, strengthened their position with a commanding 158-run victory over Zimbabwe.
They currently lead the standings with a net run rate of +3.160, while Zimbabwe are second with -0.590 and Bangladesh are third with -1.980.
Even a defeat against Bangladesh may not prevent Afghanistan from reaching the final, thanks to their superior net run rate.
Bangladesh, however, need both a victory and a favourable net run rate calculation to secure qualification.
The Tigers will also have to overcome Afghanistan’s recent dominance in ODIs.
Although the two sides have won 11 matches each in their 22 ODI meetings, Afghanistan have won five of their last six encounters.
Bangladesh captain Liton Das has been ruled out of the tournament with a hip injury.
All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who missed the opening match due to fever, could return to the side.
Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons has stressed the importance of batting through the full 50 overs and making better decisions according to the match situation.
With their final at stake, Bangladesh face a challenging task against an Afghanistan side in strong form.
