Watch: Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in Asia Cup 2022 clash in Sharjah
Afghans make the Super 4 stage of the tournament with a comfortable victory
Match summary – Afghanistan qualify for Super 4
There are times when the first few overs set the tone of the match. Today was one such occasion in the DP World Asia Cup at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Afghanistan’s off-break bowler Mujib ur Rahman struck in his three overs in the powerplay to send Bangladesh reeling. They never recovered, and the total of 127 was woefully inadequate, as Afghanistan overhauled it with the loss of three wickets.
After a cautious start, during which they lost three wickets, Afghanistan stepped up the pace. Najibullah Zadran (43 off 17 balls) and Ibrahim Zadran (23 off 16) posted an unbeaten 69-run stand for the fourth wicket as Afghanistan raced to a seven-wicket victory with nine balls to spare. A victory that made them the first team to qualify for the Super 4 phase.
All is not for Bangladesh. They too can make the last four if they beat Sri Lanka.
Earlier, Bangladesh opted to bat after skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss. It turned out to be a bad decision as Bangladesh spinner Mujib grabbed three quick wickets, including the scalp of skipper Shakib Al Hasan.
Afghanistan never allowed Bangladesh to recover as leggie Rashid Khan applied the squeeze and came away with three wickets. The result was an undercooked total.
Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by seven wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday to enter the Super 4 of the DP World Asia Cup cricket tournament
Zadrans step on the accelerator
Just when there was the nagging feeling that Afghanistan’s chase is a trifle slow, Ibrahim Zadran turned up the volume. First, he clobbered Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed for two boundaries to take 11 from the over and then turned his attention to off-spinner Mahdi Hassan, hoisting him over midwicket.
In desperation, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan brought on Mustafizur Rahman. Najibullah Zadran greeted him with a fierce pull for a six and followed it up with another over long-on. 16 came from the over, and an Afghan win is 26 runs away. They have three overs to get it.
Afghans start chase cautiously
Afghanistan's openers were subdued in the chase of the Bangladesh total of 127. With Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan opening the bowling, Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz started cautiously before Gurbaz was stumped off Shakib’s bowling.
The arrival of Ibrahim Zadran changed the complexion of the game, as the Afghan batsmen reeled off boundaries. They were 29/1 at the end of the powerplay, but have progressed to 45/1 in 9 overs.
Victory is 83 runs away and there have 11 overs to get there.
Midway summary - Bangladesh dawdle to 127/7
Bangladesh struggled to post 127/7 against Afghanistan in the Group B game of the DP World Asia Cup after losing a clump of early wickets at the packed Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (August 30).
Opting to bat first, Bangladesh's sheer lack of intent was glaring. That was a recipe for disaster against Afghanistan, who are riding high after notching a win. Bangladesh lost three wickets in the powerplay, all of them to off-break bowler Mujib ur Rahman. That included the scalp of skipper Shakib Al Hasan.
Afghanistan never allowed Bangladesh to recover as leggie Rashid Khan applied the squeeze and came away with three wickets. The result was an undercooked total, which is grossly inadequate to test the Afghan batting.
Bangladesh on the back foot in the powerplay
Three wickets down in the first six overs, including skipper Shakib Al Hasan. That’s the dismal story of Bangladesh, who won the toss and elected to bat. The packed Sharjah Cricket Stadium has loved every minute, every ball bowled.
Afghanistan is riding high with off-spinner Mujib ur Rahman leading the way with a wicket in each of his first three overs in the Bangladesh innings. Leggie Rashid Khan came and immediately accounted for Mushfiqur Rahim, and Bangladesh is in the doldrums.
Bangladesh 41/4 in 7 overs
The toss and teams
Welcome to Match 3 of the DP World Asia Cup 2022 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Bangladesh have won the toss, and elected to bat first.
The teams
Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Afif Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi (capt), Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi
Afghanistan likely to enter Super 4 phase
Shyam A. Krishna, Senior Associate Editor
Afghanistan have a chance to sew up a Super 4 spot in the DP World Asia Cup 2022 if they beat Bangladesh in the Group B game at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium today (August 30). The Afghans are favourites to win the encounter, having despatched Sri Lanka with ease in the tournament opener.
But Bangladesh won’t be pushovers. They have plenty to prove, and more importantly they will look to revive their sagging fortunes. A new de-facto T20 coach in Sridharan Sriram and a new captain in Shakib Al Hasan are part of efforts to shore up the game ahead of the T20 World Cup. The Afghan game could indicate whether Bangladesh have put the dismal shows behind them.
The super show by the seam attack and the opening batters were the feature of the Afghans’ first win. Their quality spin trio may have a more significant say in Sharjah. So, it looks like it’s Afghanistan’s game.