Bangladesh-Team. (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by 89 runs to keep themselves alive in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto played some brilliant cricket and hit a century each to get the job done at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Batting first, the Shakib Al Hasan-led side hit 334 runs in 50 overs. When it came to the chase, Ibrahim Zadran and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi played some good cricket but it was too much on the plate at the end of the day. On the other hand, the middle order absolutely failed to put up a show and courtesy of the same, Bangladesh picked up an easy win.
Talking Points from the 4th match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan:
The centurions
Mehidy and Shanto were incredible with the bat. Against a quality bowling attack from Afghanistan, the duo played some good cricket and courtesy of the same, Bangladesh posted a massive target, which eventually became too difficult for the opponent to chase. Their partnership of 194 runs eventually sealed the fate of the game.
Bowlers on the mark
With the ball, Shoriful Islam and Taskin Ahmed did a commendable job. Islam picked up three wickets, while Taskin notched four. The duo absolutely rattled Afghanistan’s batting unit and picked up a comfortable win in the end.
Afghanistan’s fightback
Ibrahim and Shahidi fought really hard but it got too difficult for them in the end. They kept the team in the game for the majority part but after they got out, wickets fell one after the other. Notably, Ibrahim hit 75 runs while Shahidi hit 51.
Losing skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said:
I thought the target was chaseable. The outfield was quick and the target was chaseable, but we lost wickets. Their bowlers were good in the beginning, and our run rate was really low, that’s why we couldn’t win. We need to improve in all the departments. Today our bowling was not good enough, neither was our fielding. Lahore is near our country, so the fans were waiting for this game. Hopefully they will come and support us again in the next game.
Winning skipper Shakib Al Hasan said:
We played really well all-round, it was a good toss to win. It wasn’t easy to play in the heat. Mehidy and Shanto played really well and they set it up for us. We knew Mehidy had the ability and he has a good record against Afghanistan. The fast bowlers have been bowling really well. This win will give them a lot of confidence. We tried our best in this game, maybe not in the first game, but we gave our best in this one.
POTM winner Mehidy Hasan said:
Really happy. The team management believed in me so I played well today. It was a good wicket, the ball was coming well on to the bat nicely. It was an excellent partnership between Shanto and I. He has played well in back-to-back games. We rotated the strike nicely. When the conditions are hot you tend to cramp up, like I did today.