AFG vs BAN Pitch Report: Afghanistan will face Bangladesh in the 1st ODI of the bilateral series at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on 08 October 2025, at 15:00 IST.
Afghanistan will be looking to avenge their T20I losses, while Bangladesh are high on confidence after a 3-0 whitewash in the T20I series.
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium Pitch Report – AFG vs BAN
The pitch at Abu Dhabi is traditionally balanced, offering assistance to both batters and bowlers. Pacers can extract bounce early, while spinners will become influential in the middle overs as the surface tends to slow slightly. Scores of 320+ are considered competitive for the team batting first.
Batting Conditions
Top-order batters like Hashmatullah Shahidi (AFG) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (BAN) will need to build strong partnerships. As the pitch slows later, rotating strike and avoiding dot-ball pressure against spinners will be crucial.
Pace Bowling
Pacers such as Azmatullah Omarzai (AFG) and Taskin Ahmed (BAN) can exploit the bounce and firmness of the track. Accuracy and clever variations will be key once the ball loses its shine.
Spin Bowling
Spin will play a pivotal role in Abu Dhabi. Rashid Khan (AFG) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (BAN) are expected to dominate the middle overs, with variable turn and bounce likely to make run-scoring tricky.
Par Score (ODIs at Abu Dhabi): 320+ runs
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Toss Prediction – AFG vs BAN
In Abu Dhabi, the team winning the toss is likely to bat first, as six of the last nine ODIs here were won by the team setting a total. Batting first offers the advantage of defending a high score, especially with spinners coming into play later.
AFG vs BAN Weather Forecast – Abu Dhabi (8th OCT, Afternoon)
Hourly Outlook (Local Time – Abu Dhabi)
| Time | Temp (°C) | Rain | Wind Speed (k/h) | Wind Direction | Cloud Cover | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 30 | 0 mm | 4.33 | NE | 0% | Clear |
| 03:00 | 28 | 0 mm | 3.9 | ESE | 0% | Clear |
| 06:00 | 31 | 0 mm | 3.26 | E | 0% | Clear |
| 09:00 | 32 | 0 mm | 4.36 | NNW | 0% | Dry |
| 12:00 | 31 | 0 mm | 6.4 | N | 0% | Clear |
| 15:00 | 31 | 0 mm | 6.77 | N | 0% | Clear |
| 18:00 | 31 | 0 mm | 6.77 | N | 0% | Spin-friendly conditions |
| 21:00 | 31 | 0 mm | 6.04 | NNE | 0% | Dry, favourable for spinners |
What Conditions Suggest – AFG vs BAN
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If Afghanistan bat first, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz will aim to anchor the innings past 320, giving spinners enough to defend.
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If Bangladesh bat first, Najmul Hossain Shanto must lead from the front to set up a high total; otherwise, the batting could collapse under quality spin pressure.
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Spinners will dictate terms in the second innings, making batting increasingly difficult as the match progresses.
Prediction: Afghanistan are slight favourites at home conditions, with a balanced attack and key spinners in form, but Bangladesh’s confidence from their T20I sweep means it could be a competitive contest.
