By Faham Uddin

Copyright timesnownews

Afghanistan will take on Bangladesh in the crucial Group B game of the Asia Cup 2025. Afghanistan defeated Hong Kong by 93 runs in the first game, while Bangladesh suffered a big defeat to Sri Lanka. This is a must-win game for Bangladesh to keep the hopes alive. A win for Afghanistan, on the other hand, will almost seal the Super 4s berth. Afghanistan have always fared better against Bangladesh, winning seven out of the 12 T20Is between the two teams. In fact, Afghanistan have won four out of the last five T20Is against Bangladesh. Clearly, Afghanistan will enter the game as favourites, but Bangladesh have the squad to stay competitive or even beat Afghanistan. Rashid Khan On Cusp Of HistoryAfghanistan’s strength has been their bowling in T20Is, and among all, Rashid Khan is their biggest weapon. The spin wizard is the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, with 670 wickets to his name. He is also the leading wicket-taker in T20I cricket, with 171 wickets. Rashid didn’t have the best outing against Hong Kong, taking a wicket for 24 runs, and he will be keen to bounce back against Bangladesh. Rashid is also nearing a historic feat in the Asia Cup. If he can pick three wickets against Bangladesh, he will become the leading wicket-taker in the T20 Asia Cup and the first player in the world to pick 15 wickets in the tournament. Most Wickets In T20 Asia CupBowlersWicketsMatchesBhuvneshwar Kumar136Rashid Khan129Wanindu Hasaranga128Amjad Javed127Hardik Pandya1210Afghanistan Second Favourite To Win Asia Cup Meanwhile, many believe that Afghanistan is the second-best team in the Asia Cup and could stop India’s juggernaut. Afghanistan have not won a multinational tournament yet, but they have shown remarkable improvement, beating big teams consistently in favourable conditions. If they reach the Super 4s, they’ll play India on September 24 or 26, depending on where they finish in the table.