Bangladesh are going to start their Asia Cup campaign at 8 pm Bangladesh Standard Time tonight at Sharjah stadium.
Sharjah is famous for high-scoring encounters. It is the highest scoring pitch in the UAE and one of the most in the world.
If we look back at the history of this field, the odds are looking to be against Bangladesh.
To this date, there have been 25 encounters of T20I cricket in Sharjah. Fifteen of them have been won by the team who batted first while the rest by batting 2nd. The average 1st innings score in this ground is 150.
The problem is that Bangladesh's average 1st innings score since the Zimbabwe tour in 2021 is 129. Moreover, in this period, they only crossed 150 on 5 occasions. Two of them are against Oman and Papua New Guinea in the qualifiers of the last World T20, one against Sri Lanka in Sharjah and one against Afghanistan.
The highest score chased on this ground is 171 by Sri Lanka. Opponent? Bangladesh. The very same match mentioned above holds this notorious record for Bangladesh.
Again, the lowest total defended by any team in Sharjah is 142. Against whom? Bangladesh once again! This record was also set in the last World T20, which was a nightmare for Bangladesh.
On the other hand, the highest total set by any team on this ground is 215. Set by? Afghanistan.
Also, Afghanistan played 13 T20Is here. The most by any team on this venue. They've won 10 of them, winning 77 per cent of the games. Also, the 3 of the 5 highest totals on this ground are set by Afghanistan.
Sharjah seems like a fortress for the Afghans and, at the same time, a traumatic nightmare for the tigers.
By the looks of it, Bangladesh are not only against a worthy and competent opponent but the stats as well, being on the wrong side in every aspect.
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