Bangladesh vs Afghanistan 1st ODI: Chattogram Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Pitch Report & Weather Forecast

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Moving on from the only Test, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will now lock horns in white ball format, starting with a three-match ODI series and the 1st ODI is set to take place at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury in Chattogram on Wednesday (July 5).

In terms of ODIs, hosts Bangladesh led by Tamim Iqbal are heading into the series after a 2-0 away series win against Ireland, while Hashmatullah Shahidi-led Afghanistan are fresh from a 1-2 away series loss in Sri Lanka.

Both teams will be boosted by return of star players as Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are set to feature for the visitors, while Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal are back for the hosts as they prepare for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India.

Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium Pitch Report

The pitches at the venue have been even, assisting both batters and bowlers, especially the slower bowlers, like most wickets in Bangladesh. The last few matches have been a mixed bag as two matches saw a team register over 300 runs, while the remaining have seen teams struggle to get past 250.

The average score batting first at the venue is 224 and batting second or chasing is 190. So, captain winning the toss will not hesitate to put runs on the board and try to defend the total with slow bowlers. Both teams are stacked with spin bowling options.

This will also be the fourth time that the two sides will meet at the venue. So, the visitors also will have experience of playing on the slow wickets, which have been mastered by the home side.

The last few matches at the venue have never witnessed interruptions due to weather. However, that may not be the case during the monsoon season as the country has seen showers since last month. So, will rain play spoilsport in the Bangladesh vs Afghanistan 1st ODI?

Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram Weather Forecast on July 5

According to AccuWeather, the forecast for Wednesday (July 5) in Chattogram suggests a mostly cloudy and warm day with chances of couple of showers and thunderstorms. The temperatures for the day will be a maximum of 34^o C and a minimum of 27^o C.

Rain Prediction in Chattogram on July 5: There is chance of a thunderstorm at 9 AM Local Time, but the showers are expected to subside within an hour and the next few hours are expected to remain cloudy with little chance of rain.

However, there is 51 percent chance of another hour spell of thunderstorm at 2 PM and again at 5 PM, there is 60 percent chance of showers for an hour before the rest of the night gets cloudy with little chance of rain. So, the BAN vs AFG 1st ODI may be interrupted due to rain.