Bangladesh registered their maiden T20I series victory over Afghanistan when they beat the tourists by six wickets in the D/L method during the rain-marred second game of the two-match series at the jam-packed Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Pacer Taskin Ahmed led the Bangladesh bowling attack to set up the impressive win as he claimed 3-33 while Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan also took two wickets each as Bangladesh restricted Afghanistan to 116-7 in the stipulated 17 overs after they decided to bowl first in a greenish wicket.
The hosts were then set a revised target of 119 runs in the D/L method and Liton Das and make-shift opener Afif Hossain put up a 67-run stand – the highest opening partnership for Bangladesh against Afghanistan in this format – to make the chase easier for the hosts, reports Daily Sun.
However, Afghanistan fought back well in the contest with three quick wickets in the space of 12 balls to reduce the Tigers to 76-3 from 67-0.
Liton (35 off 36 balls) was dismissed by off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2-28) in the first ball of the 10th over while Afif followed him one ball later as he was caught at deep midwicket after making 24 runs.
Najmul Hossain Shanto (four) showcased another disappointing performance as he was then bowled by pacer Azmatullah Omarzai in the next over but the first match hero Towhid Hridoy (19) and skipper Shakib 18 not out) shared a 31-run stand for the fourth wicket to take Bangladesh close to the victory.
Hridoy, however, lost his wicket to Azmatullah but Shamim Hossain (seven not out) hit the winning boundary in the first ball of the last over to take Bangladesh to 119-4 in 16.1 overs and complete a 2-0 series win for the hosts.
Before this series, the Tigers failed to win any of the last two T20I series played against Afghanistan.
Bangladesh suffered a 0-3 series defeat to Afghanistan in Dehradun, India in 2018 while they drew the previous two-match series 1-1 in Mirpur last year.
Bangladesh started the game with two changes from their two-wicket win in the opening match as they brought in Afif and Hasan Mahmud in the places of Rony Talukdar and Shoriful Islam.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan pacer Wafadar Momand made his debut in the shortest format through this game.
The Tigers got a great start in the game as Taskin dismissed Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz (eight) in the fifth ball of the first over before he removed the other opener Hazratullah Zazai (four) in his next over.
The wicket of Gurbaz was also Taskin’s 50th dismissal in the shortest format of the game.
The visitors were 39-2 in 7.2 overs when rain came into play for the first time in the game and after a one hour and 38 minutes interruption, the umpires decided to hold a 17-over per side contest.
Soon after the break, Mohammad Nabi, who struck a brilliant fifty in the series opener, was dropped twice by Shakib and Liton off Nasum Ahmed’s bowling but he was finally dismissed by Mustafizur in the next over after making 16 off 22 balls.
Shakib (2-15) then gave Bangladesh double successes in the next over as he dismissed Ibrahim Zadran (22) in the first ball before he bowled Najibullah Zadran (five) in the last ball to reduce the visitors to 67-5 in the 11th over.
Azmatullah Omarzai (25 off 21) and Karim Janat (20 off 15) then hit some big shots and shared a 42-run stand for the sixth wicket to take the score over the 100-run mark before the former was caught at the third man region of Mustafizur’s (2-30) bowling.
Taskin got rid of Karim in the next over and despite being hit for a six by Rashid Khan, he only conceded seven runs in the final over to limit Afghanistan to a gettable score.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
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