Asia Cup 2023: BAN vs AFG Review – Bangladesh strengthen their Super 4 hopes
In a must-win encounter at the Asia Cup 2023, Bangladesh emerged victorious against Afghanistan. The match was dominated by Bangladesh – from early setbacks to remarkable partnerships, and a spirited bowling display.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Bangladesh had a quick start but lost two early wickets with just 63 runs on the board. However, the resilience of Mehidy Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto turned the tide in their favour.
The pair stitched together an impressive 215-run partnership, each scoring a century. Mehidy contributed 112 runs, while Shanto played a brilliant innings of 104. With a total of 334 runs on the board, Bangladesh looked confident to defend at the halfway mark, and they did that quite convincingly in the end.
In response, Afghanistan’s hopes were dashed as their key batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, fell early. Despite the setback, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi’s efforts kept the team in the hunt even as the required run rate kept going up.
However, the team lost a cluster of wickets against a spirited Bangladesh attack, which inflicted a collapse that saw Afghans come down from 193/4 to 245 all out, falling short by 89 runs. Zadran top-scored with 75 runs while captain Shahidi added 51, but the rest of the team couldn’t offer much resistance.
Top Performers of the Match
Best Batter – Mehidy Hasan Miraz (112 of 119)
On a pitch that looked quite supportive for the batters, opener Mehidy made full use of it. Opening for the second time in his career, he showcased amazing batting skills and smashed the Afghan bowlers all around the park as Afghanistan had no answer to his batting but unfortunately, he had to retire hurt due to an injury to his hand. His magnificent hundred was the reason behind Bangladesh’s huge score that made all the difference in the end.
Best Bowler – Taskin Ahmed (4/44, 8.3overs)
Known for his pace and bounce, Taskin demonstrated his bowling prowess and troubled the Afghan batters. He opened his wicket tally with the important wicket of Rahmat Shah and then he wrapped up the middle and lower order and emerged as the best bowler of the match.
What next?
Afghanistan will be up against Sri Lanka on September 5, while Bangladesh will be waiting for these two teams’ match as that will decide if they (Bangladesh) will qualify in the Super Four or not.
