Bangladesh lost by eight wickets to Afghanistan in the second and final T20 match at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today due to a poor batting effort.
The Afghans drew the series 1-1 and prevented Bangladesh from completing a T20 sweep, which was expected. Earlier in the three-match ODI series, Afghanistan avoided a complete sweep by winning the third game.
After Bangladesh set up 115-9, opener Hazratullah Zazai hit an unbeaten 59 off 45 balls and established a 99-run partnership with Usman Ghani for the second wicket to help Afghanistan race to win with 14 balls to spare.
As Afghanistan reached 119-2, Darwish Rasooli, who was not out on nine, sealed off the game by pulling left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed for a six-over deep mid-wicket. Afghanistan was defeated by 61 runs in the opening Twenty20 encounter.
Before the game, both sides paused for a minute of silence in honor of Australian legends Shane Warne and Rodney Marsh.
Usman Ghani, who came back from 39 and 41 to score 47 off 48 with five fours and one six, was the man of the match.
After Afghanistan lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz for three games, Zazai and Ghani formed a match-defining relationship.
Zazai’s innings were almost without a chance. He struck three fours and five sixes in his match-winning performance, slog-sweeping left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan for six over deep square-leg to reach his third fifty off 37 balls.
Mushfiqur Rahim had earlier top-scored for Bangladesh with 30 runs, becoming only the second Bangladesh player after captain Mahmudullah Riyad to reach 100 T20 games.
Riyad, on the other hand, scored 21 runs and became the first Bangladeshi batter to reach the 2000-run mark in this format.
Only two other Bangladeshi batsmen, Liton Das and Naim Sheikh, were able to reach double figures in this match, both scoring 13.
Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai, both pacers, were the wreckers-in-chief, each taking three wickets for 18 and 22 runs respectively.
Bangladesh, opting to bat first on a wicket with some grass, got off to a bad start, losing Munim Shahriar for only four runs. Despite hitting a six to start the innings, Liton Das was unable to make his start count, and Naim Sheikh was dismissed after an uncomfortably long stay at the crease.
Shakib Al Hasan, meanwhile, was wobbly during his time in the crease and was finally dismissed for nine runs.
Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah appeared to be bailing the team out of trouble, putting on a 43-run fifth-wicket stand that helped Bangladesh reach 100 runs.
With the wicket of Riyad, Rashid Khan broke the partnership, and Mushfiqur Rahim was dismissed by Farooqi.
Farooqi, with Omarzai’s help, tidied off the tail to give Afghanistan a short target, which they gladly gunned down to complete the trip on a high note.
