Afghanistan and Bangladesh crossed swords with each other in Match 3 of Asia Cup 2022 in Sharjah. The game saw the Mohammad Nabi-led side yet again displaying a clinical performance with both and ball and becoming the first team to qualify for the Super 4s.
Asked to bowl first, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan made a mockery of Bangladesh’s batting lineup. Not only did they take wickets, but they also restricted runs.
The duo together claimed 6 wickets and helped their side to restrict the opposition to a total of just 127 runs. Mosaddek Hossain gave his best with the bat and scored unbeaten 48 runs to take Bangladesh to a competitive total.
Chasing the target, Afghanistan struggled to time the ball initially and lost three wickets for 62 runs. But Ibrahim Zadran (42*) and Najibullah Zadran (43*) played sensationally to bag the victory for their side by 7 wickets to register their second consecutive win of the tournament.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Mohammad Nabi lauded Mujeeb and Rashid for their performances and said that they always try to take wickets early. He also lauded his batting unit for finishing the game well.
“Everyone knows both Mujeeb and Rashid are world-class bowlers. They again showed their talent and ability. We plan to take early wickets to be ahead in the game. Everyone knows that we have power hitters in our team. We finished the game really well. Gurbaz tried a lot but couldn't hit them well. Shakib bowled brilliantly,” Mohammad Nabi said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan termed losing early wickets as the main reason behind the loss. He lauded his team for the fight back and said that they had the game in their hand at one stage but Najibullah took it away from them.
“It is always tough when you lose 4 wickets in the first 7-8 overs. We were in the game for the first 14-15 overs. Credit to Afghanistan. In a T20 game, whoever is standing up for the team should it take it till the end. Mosaddek played well but we needed more contributions, We knew Najibullah is a dangerous batsman. We thought we had the game when they needed 60 odd in the last 6 overs. But credit to Najibullah,” Shakib Al Hasan said.
Bangladesh will next face Sri Lanka on Thursday (1st September) whereas Afghanistan will play in the Super 4s.
(Star Sports inputs)
