Abu Dhabi: A remarkable display of spin bowling and some outstanding death overs by Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman led Bangladesh to a thrilling eight-run victory over Afghanistan in their Asia Cup encounter in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
With this victory, Bangladesh maintains its second position in the group with two wins and one loss, totaling four points. Sri Lanka leads the group with two wins from two matches. Afghanistan, with one win and one loss, sits in third place. If Afghanistan defeats Sri Lanka in the final Group B match, all three teams will have two wins each, making net run rate the deciding factor.
In their chase of 155 runs, Nasum Ahmed made an immediate impact for Bangladesh, dismissing Sediqullah Atal, the half-centurion against Afghanistan, for a golden duck on the very first ball.
Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz attempted to get the scoreboard moving with a few boundaries, but Nasum quickly dismissed Zadran, trapping him lbw for just five runs off 12 balls. Afghanistan found themselves at 18/2 in 4.1 overs.
After six overs, Afghanistan was in a precarious position at 27/2, with Gurbaz accompanied by Gulbadin Naib. The eighth over bowled by Shamim Hossain yielded 16 runs for Afghanistan, including a six from Gurbaz and a four from Naib.
Afghanistan crossed the 50-run threshold in 8.1 overs. However, they encountered difficulties as Rishad Hossain claimed two quick wickets. By the end of 10 overs, Bangladesh had scored 61/3, after Rishad dismissed Naib for 16 runs off 14 balls, which included two fours. Gurbaz, who was looking to accelerate the scoring, ended up giving a catch to Jaker Ali at deep backward square leg, departing for 35 runs off 31 balls, with two fours and two sixes. Afghanistan was four down at 62/4 in 10.2 overs.
At the conclusion of the 13th over, a superb delivery from pacer Mustafizur Rahman dismissed the seasoned Mohammed Nabi for a slow 15 runs off 15 balls, which included a six, as a thick inside-edge crashed into his stumps. Afghanistan found themselves at 77/5, halfway through their innings.
In the 14th over, Azmatullah Omarzai scored a total of 20 runs off spinner Saif Hassan, hitting two sixes and a four. Afghanistan crossed the 100-run threshold in 14.4 overs.
Azmatullah's resistance was ultimately halted by Taskin Ahmed, with Saif taking a secure catch at backward point. The all-rounder departed after a brisk 30 runs from 16 balls, which included a four and three sixes. Afghanistan stood at 109/4 in 15.4 overs, needing 45 runs in the last four overs.
In the following over, captain Rashid intensified the pressure on the Bangladeshi bowlers, smashing Mustafizur for a no-look six and a four, adding 14 more runs to his team's total. However, exceptional fielding from Nurul Hasan and Litton Das resulted in Karim Janat being dismissed after hitting a six off 8 balls. Afghanistan's score was 124/7 in 17.1 overs.
During the 19th over, after conceding a four, Mustafizur made a comeback by taking out Rashid for a rapid 20 runs off 11 balls (including two fours and a six), bringing Afghanistan down to 132/8 in 18.2 overs. In the subsequent over, Allah Ghazanfar edged one to the wicketkeeper, giving Mustafizur an opportunity for a match-winning hat-trick, which he unfortunately missed.
In the last over, Afghanistan required 22 runs. With 21 runs needed off the last four balls, Noor Ahmed swung hard for a six, but a slower delivery from Taskin Ahmed resulted in no runs, shattering Afghanistan's hopes. Nevertheless, after hitting a six on the second-to-last ball, Noor was dismissed on the final delivery, leading to Bangladesh's victory by eight runs, as they bowled Afghanistan out for 146 runs.
Mustafizur (3/28) and Taskin (2/34) were the standout bowlers for Bangladesh among the pacers, while spinners Nasum (2/11) and Rishad (2/19) captivated with their exceptional spin, which stifled a determined Afghanistan.
Earlier, despite a commendable bowling effort from Afghanistan, they could not contain Bangladesh, who reached a competitive total of 154/5 in 20 overs. Bangladesh faced a quartet of Rashid, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Nabi, and Allah Ghazanfar but performed well in the first innings, which unfolded in two distinct phases.
The opening duo of Saif Hassan (30 off 28 balls, including two fours and a six) and Tanzid Hasan (52 off 31 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) established a solid 63-run opening partnership, providing a strong base for Bangladesh before the former was dismissed.
Captain Litton (9 off 11 balls) struggled as the scoring rate dropped significantly. Although Bangladesh was well-positioned at 87/1 after 10 overs, they failed to capitalize in the latter half of the innings, managing only 154/5, scoring just 67 runs in the second half while losing four wickets.
Towhid Hridoy (26 off 20, with a four and a six) started well but could not turn his performance into a significant contribution. Nurul added a useful 12* off 6 balls to help Bangladesh surpass the 150-run threshold.
Noor (2/23) and captain Rashid (2/26) were the leading bowlers, while Azmatullah Omarzai claimed one wicket.
Rashid solidified his position at the top of the tournament's wicket-taking leaderboard during the match. The 26-year-old spinner ascended to first place with 14 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 18.00, achieving best figures of 3/22 in T20I Asia Cup history. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the prominent Indian fast bowler recognized for his exceptional swing, fell to second place with 13 wickets in six matches at an average of 9.46, recording best figures of 5/4.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh: 154/5 (Tanzid Hasan 52, Towhid Hridoy 26, Noor Ahmad 2/23) triumphed over Afghanistan: 146 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 35, Azmatullah Omarzai 30, Mustafizur Rahman 3/28).
