On this day in 2019: Afghanistan thump Bangladesh to register their 2nd Test win

On this day in 2019, Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh in what was a historic second victory in only their third Test match after gaining Test status in 2018.

Over the last few years, Afghanistan is one team that has perhaps had the most meteoric rise. A lot of their players are top picks in T20 leagues across the globe and they have started taking rapid strides in the Test arena as well.

A strong beginning

Last year on 9th September, under the leadership of their star player Rashid Khan, Afghanistan completed a comprehensive victory over Bangladesh that too on their home turf. Electing to bat first, they piled on an impressive first innings score of 342 largely due to the contributions of Rahmat Shah and Asghar Afghan.

While Shah etched his name in history books by becoming the first Test centurion for his country, Asghar chipped in with an invaluable 92. Rashid showcased his ability with the bat by scoring a quickfire 50 as well. But it was his bowling that helped the Afghans get the game in their grasp. They dismissed Bangladesh for just 205, in conditions conducive for batting with Rashid being the chief tormentor picking up 5 wickets.

Rain interrupts proceedings

In the second outing, Afghanistan scored a healthy 260 and set Bangladesh a daunting target of 398. Once again, they showed how superior their bowling line up was ripping through the batting line up of the Tigers and had Bangladesh reeling at 125-6. This is when Afghanistan came face to face with the brutalities of Test cricket.

Bad light and rain suspended play on Day 4, an hour prior to the scheduled end. The Afghans still needed 4 wickets to win. Unfortunately for them, it rained all through the morning of the 5th day as well. It seemed as though their hard work will go in vain in Chattogram. After the first session was rained out, play eventually did resume but had to be halted after just 13 deliveries. With a gloomy sky and uncertainty around the forecast, it did look like Bangladesh would escape unscathed after all.

Rashid leads from the front

But as they say, some things are just meant to be. The skies cleared out late in the day giving the visitors 18 overs to pick 4 wickets and register a historic victory. It seemed a tough ask since the Bangladesh captain, the very experienced Shakib Al Hasan was still at the crease. But he was dismissed on the first ball after play resumed.

With 3 wickets to be picked, Rashid stepped up once again and showed what a champion bowler he is. He dismissed the lower order batsmen one after the other and picked up the last wicket of Soumya Sarkar with just 3.2 overs left, finishing the game with an exceptional 11 wickets. It was a resounding victory for Afghanistan and a fitting farewell for their most experienced player, Mohmmad Nabi who was playing his last Test match.

The victory last year has laid the stepping stone for Afghanistan teams of the future. It was a game where they had to grind it out, show a lot of mental toughness and even overcome external forces. And they successfully came out on top. It will go down as a turning point in the history of Afghanistan cricket.