Desk Report:
Bangladesh had already secured the T20 series by winning the first two matches. Saif Hasan-Zaker Ali also thrashed Afghanistan by winning the last match in Sharjah yesterday. Chasing a target of 144 runs, Bangladesh won by 6 wickets thanks to Saif Hasan’s fifty and with 12 balls in hand.
This is Bangladesh’s first thrashing of the Afghan team in T20s. It is also revenge in a sense. Bangladesh returned from a thrashing in a 3-match series against the Afghans in Dehradun, India in June 2018. The Bangladesh team can see this thrashing as a salve to heal the old wound.
Parvez Hossain Iman and Tanjid Tamim gave the team a 24-run partnership in the chase. Saif Hasan came to the wicket after Emon Omarzai fell for 14 runs. He added 55 runs off 39 balls with Tanjid. Even though Tanjid (33) was dismissed for 79 runs, Saif Hasan remained unbeaten until the end of the match. He reached fifty off 32 balls and remained unbeaten on 64 runs. His 38-ball innings, which included 2 fours and 7 sixes, had a strike rate of 168.42. His innings prevented the team’s innings from being affected by the departures of Zaker Ali (10) and Shamim Hossain Patwary (0) in the middle of the over. Coming out to bat in the end, Nurul Hasan Sohan remained unbeaten on 10 runs off 9 balls. He was also unbeaten on 23 and 31 runs in the previous two matches.
Earlier, Afghanistan, having lost the toss, batted first and scored 143 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. Two openers Ibrahim Zadran (7) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (12) were dismissed within 24 runs. Then, Sediqullah Atal and Wafiullah Tarakhil tried to resist. Mohammad Saifuddin thwarted that attempt by dismissing Wafiullah (11). Then Darwish Rasuli and Atal put on a 34-run partnership. Saifuddin, who came into the attack in the 11th over after the powerplay, broke this 34-run partnership with the first ball. He dismissed Atal (28) and revived the possibility of a hat-trick.
Saifuddin did not get another hat-trick, but the Afghans’ batting collapse began. They lost 5 wickets for 25 runs. Omarzai (3) was out for a six off Rishad Hossain. Nabi lost his stumps while playing Nasum Ahmed on the front foot. Captain Rashid Khan fell victim to Tanizm Shakib (12). Tanizm also revived the possibility of a hat-trick by dismissing Abdullah Ahmadzai (0) with the next ball of the 15th over. Like Saifuddin, he also failed. Even so, the Afghans’ run count exceeded 140 with the bat of Rasuli and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. They put on a 34-run partnership for the ninth wicket. Rasuli returned with a top score of 32 runs in 29 overs, while Mujeeb remained unbeaten on 23 runs.
Saifuddin took the most wickets with the ball, 3. Tanjim and Nasum took 2 wickets each.
