A tense and thrilling encounter at the Arnos Vale Ground saw Afghanistan secure a hard-fought victory against Bangladesh.
Captain Rashid Khan won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch known to favour spinners. The decision seemed wise initially, with openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran providing a steady start. However, the introduction of Taskin Ahmed put the brakes on the scoring rate. Both openers played and missed deliveries before Gurbaz eventually fell to Hossain for 43.
The middle overs saw a procession of wickets as the wily Bangladeshi spinner, Rishad Hossain, exploited the turning pitch. Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib attempted to counter-attack but were dismissed early. Just when Afghanistan seemed to be losing their grip, their captain, Rashid Khan, stepped up. He smashed a quick-fire 19 off 10 deliveries, pushing Afghanistan to a total of 115 runs in their 20 overs.
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Chasing a modest target, Bangladesh faltered early, with Tanzid Hasan going for a duck in the second over. Later, Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar put on a 25-run partnership. However, the introduction of Rashid Khan turned the tide once again. The Afghan leg-spinner ripped through the Bangladeshi batting line-up, claiming four crucial wickets, including the prized scalps of Shakib and Soumya.
With wickets falling at regular intervals, Bangladesh’s chase seemed to be falling apart. However, Litton Das’ regular scoring briefly brought Bangladesh back into contention.
Despite Litton’s heroics, Naveen-ul-Haq dismissed Mustafizur Rahman in the 18th over to bowl out Bangladesh, effectively ending Bangladesh’s hopes. Afghanistan eventually secured a thrilling victory by 8 runs, as per the DLS revision.
Last Updated on June 25, 2024
