Inzamam-ul-Haq, a former captain of Pakistan, voiced his amazement at Bangladesh’s team selection for Tuesday’s Asia Cup 2022 opener against Afghanistan (August 30). He asserted that Bangladesh’s preference for pacers over spinners was a deviation from their natural capabilities.
In the third game of the 2022 Asia Cup, Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh in Sharjah with an emphatic seven-wicket victory. The Afghans won the toss and elected to bowl first. They restricted Bangladesh to 127 for seven before chasing the score in 18.3 overs.
Afghanistan were the first team to earn a spot in the Super 4 round with their second victory of the campaign. Inzamam expressed the following sentiments on Bangladesh’s loss on his YouTube channel:
“I was taken aback by the team Bangladesh chose. Their spinners, who have historically been their strength, were not supported. Shakib Al Hasan, their captain, was the only experienced spinner they had. Afghanistan was fighting back against him.
The Pakistani legend claimed that Afghanistan’s success in the chase was aided by medium-pacers bowling toward the conclusion of the innings. He clarified:
“Medium-pacers can’t settle against Afghan hitters. They are heavy hitters, and Sharjah’s playing field is likewise modest in size. Afghanistan benefited from playing Bangladesh’s medium-pacers.
Three spinners did enter the match for Bangladesh. Mosaddek Hossain was relegated to only bowling 2.3 overs while Mahedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan completed their four overs each.