The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
So, that's all we have for you from the first of three ODIs between Afghanistan and Bangladesh from Sharjah. Both teams will meet each other at this very venue on Saturday for the second fixture. Join us right here on Sportskeeda for our coverage of that, and make sure to keep an eye on our page for every single update on cricket and more! This is Rajarshi Das, signing off on behalf of Sourabh Agarwal. Good night!
Hashmatullah Shahidi (Afghanistan captain): Quite happy about the performance, the way the boys played today. It was good, looking forward to the next two games. Honestly, I was believing it was enough (Afghanistan's total) when our five wickets fell, Nabi went out, he was really positive and played really well. I was telling him to look to get to 220, it would have been a great score, we played really well, 236 was a good target here. The bowlers then did their job, brilliant performance from the team, especially the bowlers. He's a special talent, good kid, good future for Afghanistan. I trusted him, and that's why he's playing. He bowled really well in his first three overs, but after that no ball I went and told him why you doing this (chuckles). In the second spell, right from the first ball he began doing his job. Hope he keeps doing so in the future for our team. Very happy with the depth, we have a lot of youngsters, lot of options in the backup. Unfortunate that Ibrahim (Zadran) is not with us, he's a great opener. Gurbaz was also injured today, that's why he didn't keep. Hopefully he recovers by the next game, and hopefully we keep doing well.
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh Captain): We did really well in the first innings, first 15-20 overs specially but Hasmat and Nabi played really well in the middle overs. I don't think we needed to attack more (with the field), the wicket had enough for the bowlers. My wicket was the big moment, I was the set batter but then got out at the wrong moment and then the other batters too. Afghanistan always have a some quality mystery spinners and that guy (Ghazanfar) bowled really well. We will look to bounce back on Saturday
Allah Ghazanfar has been declared the Player of the Match for his career best figures of 6/26
Match summary:
Afghanistan win by 92 runs
Mohammad Nabi 84 (79) | Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar 6/26 (6.3) Najmul Hossain Shanto 47 (68) | Taskin Ahmed 4/53 (10)
As was expected from one and all, Afghanistan's spinners ran riot while defending a total at Sharjah - again. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar led the way for the hosts tonight - he was an absolute menace with his carrom deliveries and extra bounce. Some of the choices of shots from the Bangladeshi batters were questionable too, to say the least. The sweep shot became the undoing of two of their set batters, following which a collapse of epic proportions ensued.
Bangladesh, though, began on a great note, thanks to a brisk start from Soumya Sarkar. Afghanistan began with a dash of pace from one end, Farooqi was a tad off with his line and length at times, and Sarkar made good use of it. He lost his opening partner early, but had a reliable partner in Najmul Hossain Shanto to build the innings. Shanto got in on the act having played himself in, the odd catching opportunity went down as well, and things began looking rosy for the visitors.
Azmatullah Omarzai was handed the ball towards the end of the 10-over powerplay after Nabi went down with cramp, and he proceeded to bowl a miserly spell. He was the one who accounted for the well-set Soumya Sarkar with the short ball, having rushed him for pace. Shanto took over as the senior partner in the middle, and having joined by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, the duo went on to milk the ones and twos as Afghanistan's spinners toiled hard.
The wicket began offering some turn - some sharp turn, in fact, around the 20th over mark. Bangladesh needed Shanto and Miraz to bat long, but given the boundaries were drying up, there seemed to be a hint of pressure creeping in among the duo. Mohammad Nabi knew all about it, he kept a second slip for Shanto, got him to sweep a delivery wide of off, and what followed after that was nothing short of astounding.
Rashid Khan and Nangeyalia Kharote kept a tight squeeze on proceedings, and then came Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar with his third spell. He got the ball to do a lot off the deck, used the carrom ball to excellent effect, found some extra bounce, and a Bangladeshi procession followed. Rashid chipped in with a wicket in between - a beautifully delivered googly that left Mahmudullah completely flummoxed.
Ghazanfar went on to account for Mushfiqur Rahim, Rishad Hossain and Taskin Ahmed in the following over, and Bangladesh were well and truly off the rails. Rashid did for Towhid Hridoy the next over, and Ghazanfar finished with six wickets to his name, cleaning up number 11 Shoriful Islam. Time for the presentations...
9:10 P.M. Local Time, 10:40 P.M. IST: Fittingly, it is Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar who completes the final rites! Bangladesh were going well, really well at one point, but as it turned out, they needed their set batters to see them through to the target. The wicket turned out to be too tough for the new batters to settle in, and the Afghanistan spinners ran riot. Eight wickets for 23 runs across overs 27 to 35 - that'll tell you a tale in itself!
34.3 Allah Ghazanfar to Shoriful Islam, THERE IS THE FINAL WICKET, it is yet another carrom ball from the 18-year old sensation, on the stumps and Fizz wanted to send it over the ropes, misses it altogether and those stumps take a beating again. He picks up 6/26 and registers the best bowling in the ODI history between Bangladesh and Afghanistan
Shoriful Islam b Allah Ghazanfar 1(4b, 0x4, 0x6).
34.2 Allah Ghazanfar to Shoriful Islam, nicely tossed up on the stumps and Shoriful wanted to send it into orbit, he only ends up getting a thick inside edge onto his pads, no run
34.1 Allah Ghazanfar to Mustafizur Rahman, HAT TRICK BALL, into the blockhole outside off, Fizz jams it out and gets an inside edge through the leg side for a single
Right. Last wicket, Ghazanfar's on a hat-trick. He has the opportunity to finish this game off the best possible way...
34
overs
142/9score
1wd
0
W
1
1
1
0
runs
Shoriful Islam*
1(2)
Mustafizur Rahman
2(2)
Rashid Khan
2/28
33.6 Rashid Khan to Shoriful Islam, tossed up on a fuller length, Shoriful looks to run with his shot but only ends up finding short mid-wicket, no run
33.5 Rashid Khan to Mustafizur Rahman, goes round the wicket and fires it in, Fizz gets an inside edge that rolls past the stumps for a solitary run
33.4 Rashid Khan to Shoriful Islam, tossed up on the stumps, Shoriful hoicks and gets it down to long-on for a single
33.3 Rashid Khan to Mustafizur Rahman, flatter on off, Fizz goes back and punches it to deep point for a single
Mustafizur Rahman, LHB, is the last man in
Seven wickets for nineteen runs across seven and a half overs. If ever there was a description of a batting collapse, it's right here. Hridoy, the last of the recognized batters, is gone. Afghanistan are one wicket away from completing a sensational win under the lights at Sharjah!
33.2 Rashid Khan to Towhid Hridoy,ANOTHER ONE GOES, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENIG HERE? It is the googly once again from Rashid, into the stumps and Hridoy who has seen carnage unfold from the non-striker's end has a wild hoick at it, makes no connection whatsoever and the poles are knocked back once again
Towhid Hridoy b Rashid Khan 11 (21b, 0x4, 0x6)
33.1 Rashid Khan to Towhid Hridoy, flatter on the stumps, Hridoy knocks it towards mid-on
33.1 Rashid Khan to Towhid Hridoy, fired down the leg side, this will be a WIDE
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Shoriful Islam
*
Rashid Khan
Video
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Sharjah Cricket Stadium
