Bangladesh have won the toss and have opted to field

Toss time: Heads is the call from Shahidi and it comes down as tails.

Pitch report: The pitch is not quite central. It is one of the smaller venues in the World Cup and in India. There have been only four games played here in ODI cricket. We have got a very hard surface and a lot of grass. It has had more bounce as compared to the other venues in India. Really good spattering of grass and that helps the ball to come on, reckon Nasseer Hussain and Matthew Hayden.

Rashid Khan is having a pep talk with his teammates and they look determined and hungry to do well.

What does the weather hold for us? A chilly morning welcomes us. It is presently around 20 degrees and the sun is basking in all its glory! There’s only a negligible chance of rain.

Our correspondent, Prakash Govindasreenivasan, reports from the venue - Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur and Shoriful Islam have all marked their run-ups. Looks like Hasan Mahmud misses out today.

The conditions on offer and the team that might hold an edge? Dharamsala is situated at a high altitude and the ball does travel here. Pacers are expected to extract movement in the air as well as off the deck. It is usually conducive for strokeplay too but the batters need to be on their toes against the new ball. Bangladesh are better equipped in terms of pace bowling stock and their pace bowlers have been in brilliant form off late. The conditions might suit them better.

There are clouds of doubt as far as Bangladesh are concerned. There have been off-field issues for them which took centre stage and the most prominent of them was the Bangladesh skipper, Shakib, taking a dig at Tamim on the day Bangladesh left for India for the World Cup. Those types of things can have a psychological impact on the morale of the team. Talking about their squad, they have a good mixture of experience and youth but they would have to show good temperament and focus on the match at hand. Bangladesh defeated the Afghanis comprehensively in their most recent tussle in the Asia Cup and would look to begin on a promising note.

Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh 2-1 in Chattogram in a bilateral series earlier this year and they would take confidence from that fact. They had a forgettable 2019 World Cup, failing to win any of their matches. However, we all know that Afghanistan are a different kettle of fish and they can take any opponent by surprise. Hashmatullah Shahidi mentioned in a pre-match interview, “With this team, we have worked really hard since the last 2-3 years. We are thinking about the present, the past is gone now.”

9:00 local, 3:30 GMT: The World Cup has taken off with flying colours and there’s plenty of excitement all across the globe! Today marks the first of the double-headers of the marquee event and the stage is set for Afghanistan to take on Bangladesh in the picturesque venue of Dharamsala first up. Cricket is a celebration in both these sub-continental countries and there’s immense love for the game! Growing up as a kid, a lot of these players would have witnessed their biggest stars in action and would have drawn inspiration from them! And here they are; with an opportunity to rise to the occasion on the biggest stage and inspire a generation of youngsters. On that note, this is Abhinav Guha wishing a warm welcome to our live coverage.

Preview by Prakash Govindasreenivasan

On either side of the hilly terrains of Dharamsala, you'll spot hoardings welcoming you to the city and the World Cup. The cordial invitation is aplenty leading up to the stadium, with faces of Arun Dhumal (IPL chairman) and Anurag Thakur (Ex-BCCI president, current politician) plastered on them. A certain level of anticipation for World Cup games at this beautiful venue - India's answer to Newlands - only adds up. The last time a World Cup was played in India (2016 T20 World Cup), this pristine stadium missed out on hosting the India-Pakistan game on security grounds and had to contend with just one marquee fixture in Australia-v-New Zealand. That's however, not an issue now as two weeks later India and New Zealand will square off here.

But before we get there, there are three more matches at the HPCA stadium, starting off with Saturday's morning fixture. The Afghanistan-Bangladesh game might not be the top-billing clash that the locals flock to but it comes with its own intriguing narrative. Four years ago, the two teams met under different circumstances - Afghanistan had gone 6 defeats in 6 and were already out, and Bangladesh were just about hanging on with 2 wins and 3 defeats in 6.

It led to one of the most hilarious tongue-in-cheek moments of the World Cup as Gulbadin Naib (then Afghanistan captain) stunned the media with these pre-match words: "Hum toh doobe hain sanam, tumko bhi lekar doobenge" [We've sunk darling, we'll now take you (Bangladesh) down with us]. No dragging of any sort happened as Afghanistan lost, but both teams ended up going home early.

On Saturday they cross paths with the kind of vigour and enthusiasm you bring to the initial stages of the tournament where all teams start out on the same footing, and with semifinal aspirations. Bangladesh come with an extra chip on their shoulder of having beaten Afghanistan rather thoroughly in the recent Asia Cup. Afghanistan, meanwhile, have familiarity with Indian conditions and a bullish captain about the fortunes of a team that won no game in the 2019 edition. "I think our mindset is different now," Hashmatullah Shahidi said in response to a question on Afghanistan under-performing in big tournaments. "As a leader, I am very confident that this time, in this World Cup we'll achieve a lot. That's our aim and target. We don't worry about what's happened in the past."

When: Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, October 7, 2023, 10.30 AM IST

Where: HPCA stadium, Dharamsala

What to expect: A chilly morning with temperatures in the early 20s and some hazy sunshine is in the offing. The venue has been kinder to pacers - they've picked 36 wickets in 4 ODIs here, while spinners have just 17. It's a stat that should please Bangladesh more than Afghanistan, as they prepare to unleash a three-pronged pace attack.

Team news:

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan has a big call to make with regards to the pacers he picks. Mustafizur Rahman, his most experienced bowler, warmed the bench almost all through the Asia Cup while Bangladesh fielded two youngsters in Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud alongside Taskin Ahmed. In the inconsequential win against India though, Mustafizur played and picked three wickets, and brings a sense of awareness about the conditions on offer in India.

Shakib also has a dilemma for the other end of the line-up. Tanzid Tamim batted admirably in the warm-up games and should slot in alongside Litton Das but it was floater Mehidy Hasan Miraz who gave Bangladesh some early batting impetus to set up the win against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup.

Tactics & Strategy: Taskin Ahmed has 21 wickets in 10 ODIs this year and will be Bangladesh's bowling trump card against Afghanistan. In this format, he's kept the free-spirited Rahmanullah Gurbaz in check (28 runs in 61 balls and 1 dismissal) and has been a thorn in Rahmat Shah's flesh (5 dismissals in 77 deliveries).

Probable XI: Tanzid Tamim, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam

Afghanistan: Naveen-ul-Haq is back in ODIs after a two-year gap, and apparently for the last time in the format. He will form the new-ball pair with Fazalhaq Farooqi while all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai can chip in as a third quick. Afghanistan are likely to pick a three-man spin department with Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman.

Tactics & Strategy: Fazalhaq Farooqi could be the man to dictate terms early when Bangladesh bat as he has a good record against Litton Das. Bangladesh have been slow starters recently - an aspect that Farooqi and Afghanistan could take advantage of to gain an early upperhand. Interestingly, Bangladesh addressed that issue in the Asia Cup against Afghanistan by promoting Mehidy Hasan to open the innings. It was a move that worked well, and could be looked at again. Through the middle, Rashid Khan-v-Mushfiqur Rahim makes for an engaging battle.

Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq

Did you know:

- Shakib Al Hasan is Bangladesh's all-round star in ODI World Cups, with 1146 runs and 34 wickets. This will also be Shakib's fifth World Cup

- Fazalhaq Farooqi has been menacing in the first PowerPlay (1-10 overs) since 2022, with 18 wickets and an economy rate of 4.85

- Rahmanullah Gurbaz averages 49.00 and strikes at 86.47 against Bangladesh in ODIs. Two of his five centuries in the format have come against them.

- Since the 2019 World Cup, Mehidy Hasan Miraz has picked 56 wickets in 47 ODIs - the most for Bangladesh

What they said:

"We all want to win the World Cup. Realistically if we win 4-5 games, we give ourselves the chance to get into the semifinals. That is our first aim. To do that, I think we have a good enough team." - Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha.

"Our players played a lot in IPL. Other players who didn't play IPL have also played in these conditions because India was our home. We know about the conditions and we will take that advantage with us throughout the tournament." - Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.

Squads:

Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, Riaz Hassan, Abdul Rahman, Ikram Alikhil

Bangladesh Squad: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mahmudullah, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib