Bangladesh Secures Historic Bilateral T20I Series Win Over Afghanistan

Mainul Islam

July 16, 2023

1.5 minutes

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Author:

Mainul Islam

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Bangladesh Secures Historic Bilateral T20I Series Win Over Afghanistan

Bangladesh emerged victorious in the thrilling two-match T20I series against Afghanistan, clinching a six-wicket win (by DLS method) in the second encounter held at The Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Prior to this series, Bangladesh and Afghanistan had engaged in two bilateral T20I series, with one going in favor of Rashid Khan and his team, while the other ended in a draw.

In pursuit of a 117-run target, the Tigers successfully chased it down with the guidance of their captain, Shakib Al Hasan, who played a crucial 18-run innings off just 11 balls. The winning runs were struck by Shamim Hossain, with five balls to spare.

The hosts had a strong start as openers Liton Das and Afif Hossain forged a promising 67-run partnership. However, Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman made a decisive impact in the 10th over, taking two wickets and bringing the visitors back into contention.

In the subsequent over, Najmul Hossain Shanto’s innings was cut short when he played across a straight delivery from pacer Azmatullah Omarzai, managing only four runs off six balls.

This setback left the Tigers at 76 for the loss of three wickets after 11 overs.

Mujeeb continued to trouble the Bangladeshi batsmen, dismissing Liton on the first ball of the 10th over. The catch, taken by Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan at covers, was nothing short of spectacular. Afif’s innings of 24 runs off 20 balls came to an end on the third delivery of the same over, as he was caught at deep-midwicket while attempting a slog-sweep.

After accumulating 50 runs in the initial five overs, Bangladesh’s scoring rate slowed down significantly in the following five, adding only 20 runs. This sudden change in momentum made the straightforward chase much more intriguing as the match approached its climax.

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2023