Tigers look to break Mirpur jinx

The ongoing T20I tri-series will come to an end after hosts Bangladesh take on Afghanistan in their third meeting of the tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today.

The Tigers, who were humiliated by Afghanistan during the one-off Test in the port city earlier this month, will now be looking to redeem themselves with a win in a format where they are ranked three places lower than the seventh ranked Afghan side.

This will also be an opportunity for Bangladesh to win their first multi-team tournament final in Mirpur after losing all the three previous finals. The one thing that could come to the Tigers’ aid in their attempt to achieve the feat is that Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan, who had pulled his hamstring during their last game against Bangladesh, still remains uncertain for the all-important final.

Bangladesh also have injury concerns ahead of the final. Leg-spinner Aminul Islam, who debuted during Bangladesh’s match against Zimbabwe in Chattogram last Wednesday, has also been rendered uncertain for today’s game after picking up a left-hand injury in the only game he played in the tournament.

Bangladesh were defeated convincingly by Afghanistan when the two sides first met in the tournament at the same ground on September 15. However, the Shakib Al Hasan led side has since bounced back from that 25-run defeat with magnificent outings in Chattogram, where the Tigers won both the matches played in the port city.

Although the likes of Shakib and Mahmudullah Riyad have been amongst the runs in the tournament so far, the main concern for the Tigers remains their opening partnership as Nazmul Hossain and Liton Das have not been consistent at the top.