The moment is finally here. There have been plenty of talks regarding Bangladesh's first match. Some of them were nervy, some of them confident while some anxious; all that however, will be forgotten after today's contest at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

The Tigers, most of who sounded and looked extremely confident during their last training session prior to the World Cup, will have to prove themselves in the middle now. With regards to their team, it seems as though slow left-armer Arafat Sunny, pacer Al-Amin Hossain and middle-order batsman Nasir Hossain might be dropped for this match.

As of yesterday 10 out of the eleven spots in the team were confirmed with the lone position being a choice between pacer Taskin Ahmed and slow left-armer Taijul Islam. The weather forecast is for rainfall in Canberra and as a result the team management will wait till today morning before making the final decision.

If Bangladesh do pick Taskin, then they will have the option of four seam bowlers, a strategy that the Tigers rarely tend to use. While Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Rubel Hossain are expected to open the bowling, the Tigers can also make use of Soumya Sarkar who has a good arm as well.

Soumya, who is expected to play his second ODI today, was one of chief selector Faruque Ahmed and company's surprise selections and it will be a big occasion for the youngster if he manages to make the team today.

The rest of the team is likely to feature the usual suspects with Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque opening the innings, followed by Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah Riyad and Shakib Al Hasan. Mushfiqur Rahim, who was Bangladesh's highest run-getter in 2014, will be looking to shut down the nightmares of the Asia Cup -- which saw the Tigers lose to Afghanistan under his captaincy -- with a good knock in the game.

The Afghans, led by the inspirational Mohammad Nabi, are all fired up for their first ever match in World Cup. They have nothing to lose and are likely to play like daredevils. Their fans will have a different expectation this time around, when compared to the Asia Cup. According to the reporters from the war-torn nation, fans would actually be disappointed in the event of a loss against the Tigers as they truly believe that they can notch a win here.

The sell-out at the Manuka Oval is expected to, in more than one way, change the scenario in Canberra, which does not really boast any apparent cricketing traditions. With an expected 13,000 spectators today, it is likely to give the city a new feel. It's an aspect that Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza reckoned would help their side. "It may remind us of our home support," Mashrafe chuckled during the pre-match press conference in Canberra yesterday.