Bangladesh T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan has acknowledged that the young Afghanistan side has outplayed the Tigers in all three departments following their massive 45 runs defeat in the first T20I of the three-match series on Sunday (3 June).
At the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun, India, Bangladesh decided to field first after winning the toss, but without Mustafizur Rahman they could not stop the Afghan batters, who posted a decent total 167/8 on the board.
In reply, Rashid Khan-led formidable spin attack made things worse for Bangladesh as bowled them out at just 122 inside 19 overs with the help of Shapoor Zadran (3wickets) and Moh Nabi (2wickets) to help Afghanistan to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20 International series in Dehradun.
As per Cricbuzz, Shakib said after the match, “Generally, we bowled well, except for the last four overs which cost us the match. Giving away those many runs was not ideal. We have a lot to do. Need to sit down and look at the areas which we need to improve. They're a good side, and they outplayed us in all three departments. Overall we have so many areas which we need to look at. When you're chasing 170-odd runs, you need to bat well. Credit to them the way they bowled. They've got some quality spinners.”
Meanwhile, Afghanistan skipper Asghar Stanikzai lauded team effort for the win as well as thanked the crowd for their support.
He further added, “Every series the first game is very important. Today, our batsmen played very well. That was enough runs on this wicket. I know my bowlers. Which time they will be good to bowl. Conditions were good for us. Want to thank the crowd.”
Man of the Match, Rashid, who has taken 3 Bangladesh wickets, was asked by reporters what’ the reason or strategy behind his successive success, the young leg-spinner said he believes in keep things simple and play with the confidence on the field.
He further said, “It was about keeping everything simple, what I've done in last two-three months. I don't have any specific plan. I keep it simple. Just to bowl little bit back of a length, not too full. I'm just enjoying myself, that is the key thing. It was a good surface, the ball was gripping, little bit dew was there. We have just played IPL. That's the biggest stage. If you perform well there, it gives you the confidence.”
The second T20I will be played on 5 June (Tuesday) at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun, while the final to be played on 7 June at the same venue.
