How Did Bangladesh Edge Out Afghanistan by Eight Runs?

Abu Dhabi, Sep 17 (NationPress) An impressive half-century from Tanzid Hasan and exceptional bowling by Mustafizur Rahman were the highlights as Bangladesh maintained their tournament hopes by defeating Afghanistan by eight runs in a Group B match of the Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Mustafizur Rahman was the standout bowler for Bangladesh, claiming three wickets, while Taskin Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, and Nasum Ahmed each took two wickets. This victory keeps Bangladesh in contention for a place in the Super 4 stage of the tournament.

Prior to this match, Afghanistan had never successfully chased a target exceeding 150 against a full member Asian team.

In pursuit of 155, Afghanistan faced a challenging start, losing opener Sediqullah Atal on the very first delivery bowled by Nasum Ahmed. This marked a wicket maiden for the spinner. Ibrahim Zadran came in at No. 3 and partnered with Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The pair attempted to stabilize the innings with a few boundaries before Nasum struck again, dismissing Zadran in the fifth over. Gulbadin Naib entered at No. 4 and hit Mustafizur for a four, leaving Afghanistan at 27/2 by the end of the powerplay.

Gulbadin and Gurbaz formed a crucial 33-run partnership for the third wicket before Rishad Hossain caught and bowled the former for 16. Gurbaz continued to contribute, hitting Saif Hassan for a six over long-off, with Afghanistan reaching 61/3 at the halfway point.

Rishad dismissed Gurbaz on the second ball of the 11th over, causing a significant blow to their chase. Gurbaz scored 35, including two sixes and two fours. Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai had a brief 11-run partnership before Mustafizur bowled out Nabi for 15.

Omarzai then accelerated, hitting Saif for a four and two sixes to score 20 runs in one over. Pacer Taskin Ahmed dismissed Azmatullah for 30, providing some relief to his teammates. However, Rashid Khan managed to hit a no-look six and a four, keeping Afghanistan's hopes alive.

In a mix-up with Karim Janat, Rashid lost his partner. In the final two overs, Afghanistan required 27 runs for victory. Despite conceding a four on the first ball, Mustafizur bowled Rashid out on the next delivery, increasing the pressure on the Afghan side.

The target was reduced to 22 runs off the last over. Noor Ahmad hit two sixes, drawing closer to the target, but ultimately fell on the last delivery as Bangladesh celebrated their victory.

Opting to bat first, Bangladesh's openers, Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan, provided a swift start. After two overs without a boundary, Tanzid struck four fours in an over bowled by Fazalhaq Farooqi. Saif also joined in, hitting a six off AM Ghazanfar and a four off Azmatullah Omarzai.

The final over of the powerplay was particularly fruitful for Tanzid, who hit Ghazanfar for two sixes, bringing Bangladesh to 59/0 after six overs. Afghanistan's captain, Rashid Khan, achieved the first breakthrough by cleaning up Saif for 30 in the seventh over.

Bangladesh's captain Litton Das joined Tanzid, but shortly after, Noor Ahmad made an immediate impact, trapping Litton LBW with his first ball. The successful review confirmed three reds, sending the skipper back prematurely. Meanwhile, Tanzid completed his half-century in 28 balls, hitting Noor for a six to bring up 100 runs for Bangladesh in the 13th over. In the same over, Noor struck again, dismissing Tanzid for 52, which included three sixes and four fours. Shamim Hossain and Towhid Hridoy attempted to keep the runs coming, with Shamim hitting two fours off Rashid Khan in the 14th over and another boundary off Noor, as Bangladesh reached 119/3 after 15 overs.

Rashid Khan curtailed Shamim’s innings at 11 in the 16th over, preventing Bangladesh from accumulating a substantial total in the final overs. In the penultimate over, Omarzai dismissed Hridoy for 26, as Jaker Ali and Nurul Hasan contributed identical scores of 12 each, leading Bangladesh to a total of 154/5 in 20 overs.

For Afghanistan, spinners Rashid and Noor each took two wickets to restrict Bangladesh after their strong start.

Brief scores:

Bangladesh: 154/5 in 20 overs (Tanzid Hasan 52, Saif Hassan 30; Noor Ahmad 2-23, Rashid Khan 2-26) defeated Afghanistan: 146 all out in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 35, Azmatullah Omarzai 30; Mustafizur Rahman 3-28, Rishad Hossain 2-18, Nasum Ahmed 2-11) by eight runs.

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