Afghanistan-Bangladesh ODI Series
3rd Match Played at ZAC Stadium, Sagarika, Chattogram
Bangladesh 129 /3 in 23.3 Overs (Litton Kumar Das 53*, Shakib Al Hasan 39, Fazal Haq Faruki 2/26)
Afghanistan 126 All Out in 45.2 Overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 56, Hashmatullah Shahidi 22, Shoriful Islam 4/21 , Taskin 2/23)
Bangladesh Won by 7 Wickets
Afghanistan Won The series 2-1
Player of Match: Shoriful Islam
Player of The Series: Fazal Haq Faruki
High flying Bangladesh was crashed and grounded by strong Bangladesh with two mind blowing performances by Afghanistan in the first two matches of series . The series was wrapped up 2-0.
Injured tigers appearing a bit traumatized from incidents off the team was not performing at the own. However, in the 3rd match bouncing back with vengeance they not only avoided series whitewash with a bang but also announced their strong presence. Bowling first they crashed the tourists to 126 All Out. Then they cruised over the target with all guns blazing racing to 129/3 with 26.3 overs still to play. The series was won by Afghanistan 2-1. But Bangladesh recovering so well promises to make the two matches T20 series competitive.
Opting to bat after winning the toss Afghanistan had to encounter very incisive pace attack of Shoriful and Taskin . The two milestone setting centurions of the second match Ibrahim Zardan and Ramanullah Gurbaz along with Rahmat Shah were blown away. Even Mohammad Nabi and Nazibullah Zadran could do nothing. Reduced to 5/32 in 15.5 Overs they managed to reach 126 All Out in 45.2 overs mainly due to painstaking 56 in 71 balls by Azmatullah Omarzai. But that score proved too little for Bengal tigers getting the taste of blood. Shoriful bowling with pace and penetration took 4/21. Taskin was also ideal foil with a return of 2/23.
Bangladesh in response stuttered a little bit losing Mohammad Naim (0) and Nazmul Hossain Shanto (11) to Fazal Faruki. But Captain Litton returning to his flamboyant best ( 53*) and Shakib playing run a ball 39 earned Bangladesh the well deserved victory by 7 wickets within less than half of the overs bowled. However, Afghans sealed the series 2-1 their first against Bangladesh. The victory of Bangladesh ensured that Bangladesh would appear in the T20 series in much better mental state.
However, the strategy of Afghanistan appeared a bit confusing. They rested their champion bowler Rashid Khan for the match. They also blooded two rookies for the match. On a wicket which provided lot of assistance in the first match to their own bowlers they opted to bat after winning the toss. Bangladesh replaced all three pacers they played in the second match and brought back Taskin , gave Shoriful his first match of the series and added Taijul for his left arm spin.
We always felt that the outcome of the first two matches were unusual. Bangladesh is a very strong outfit in ODI and at home they proved almost invincible. World Cricket knows that Afghanistan is a very talented team in white ball cricket. Much keener tussle was expected. But all three matches witnessed one way traffic. Incidents off the field influenced the Bangladesh performances. It was good to see that the tides have subsided and business as usual resumed.
The bowling of Afghan team is beyond any doubt world class but batting is thin apart from some talented youngsters. On the other hand Bangladesh in the first two matches bowled and batted well below their usual level.
BDST: 0130 HRS, JULY 12, 2023
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