Tamim vs Farooqi, and battles that could define the ODI series

Bangladesh will face Afghanistan in at least five ODIs over the course of next five months. The teams will meet in the first of those encounters in Chattogram on Wednesday with the Asia Cup and the World Cup later this year in focus. 

Out of 11 meetings in ODIs, Bangladesh have won seven. Afghanistan are yet to win a series against the hosts in this format despite being tantalisingly close last year. Hashmatullah Shahidi's team will be keen to better their previous efforts this time around. 

The Business Standard (TBS) looks at some of the key match-ups that could define how the series will pan out.

Tamim Iqbal vs Fazalhaq Farooqi 

Bangladesh's ODI skipper has been struggling against full, inswinging deliveries bowled by left-arm seamers with the new ball for a long time. Last year, Afghanistan left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi rattled him with his booming inswingers. Tamim barely had answers to them and succumbed to them in all the ODIs in the series. So far, Tamim has faced 33 deliveries off Farooqi in ODIs, scoring only 14 runs and getting out thrice. 

Litton Das vs Afghanistan 

Litton Das will be wary of the threat posed by the swing and seam of Farooqi given his record against left-arm seam but he will take inspiration from his previous outings against Afghanistan. He was the highest run-getter in both the ODI and T20I series last year against them. Litton has a fifty and a hundred against Afghanistan in ODIs in six innings and he averages 48 and strikes at 89.1 against them.

Bangladesh middle-order vs Rashid Khan

Bangladesh have a very experienced middle-order comprising Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, batting at four and six respectively. But both of them have got their work cut out against Afghanistan's talisman Rashid Khan. Mushfiqur has scored fairly quickly off Rashid (78 off 81 balls) but also got out thrice in seven meetings. Shakib Al Hasan doesn't have a good record against Rashid as well (23 off 38 balls, 2 dismissals).

Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Mustafizur Rahman 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a hundred the last time Bangladesh and Afghanistan met in an ODI. But Mustafizur Rahman, who got a match-winning four-wicket haul in Bangladesh's last ODI against Ireland, has the edge over Gurbaz. The Afghanistan opener was dismissed twice in four innings by Mustafizur. Gurbaz averages 16 against the left-arm seamer and it will be a battle to watch out for.