Asia Cup 2023 3 reasons why Afghanistan lost to Bangladesh

Bangladesh secured the first win of their Asia Cup 2023 campaign with an 89-run win over Afghanistan. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Bangladesh recorded a massive 334/5 in 50 overs. Both Mehidy Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto recorded spectacular centuries that took the game away from Afghanistan. Here’s a post-game analysis highlighting the three main reasons why Afghanistan lost to Bangladesh.

3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz had an off-day

First and foremost, Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is the biggest pillar in their batting got out for just 1 off 7. It would not be wrong to say that the game was lost then and there. Gurbaz looked in great form in the previous series against Pakistan. As such, to chase down a target of more than 300, Gurbaz was the only hope for Afghanistan. When paired with the fact that his co-opener dropped a good performance smashing 75 off 74, it only remains a speculation as to how impactful a strong opening partnership would have been for the Afghans.

2. Lack of support from middle-order Afghan batters

The second issue was with their middle-order batting. Although Rahmanullah Gurbaz failed to capitalize on the opportunity, there was ample chance of rebuilding the innings. However, Ibrahim Zadran (75 off 74) and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (51 off 60) aside, no other Afghan batter made any serious efforts to win the game. The middle-order – Najibullah Zadran (17 off 25), Mohammad Nabi (3 off 6), Gulbadin Naib (15 off 13), and Karim Janat (1 off 1) threw their wickets away cheaply. This remained a major reason behind the outcome of the game.

1. Leaking too many runs in middle-overs

The most important reason behind Afghanistan’s defeat was the bowling. The biggest story in the game was two Bangladeshi batters recording centuries. Mehidy Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto navigated through the middle overs expertly. They scored plenty of runs which allowed Bangladesh to post a mammoth total. From 63/2 in 10.3 overs, the duo took the Tigers to 278/3 in 44.3 overs. Leaking too many runs in the middle overs and their inability to break the crucial partnership was the prime nail in Afghanistan’s coffin.