Afghanistan National Cricket Team Vs Bangladesh National Cricket Team Match Highlights
Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets to move on to the semi-final of the inaugural T20 World Cup and Naveen-ul-Haq’s impressive spell of bowling was key in helping Afghanistan make history.
Afghans in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan erupted in joy following their team’s historic win against Bangladesh. Rashid Khan and Naveen ul Haq bowled superbly to dismiss Bangladesh batsmen quickly. In this article, we will discuss Afghanistan national cricket team vs bangladesh national cricket team match scorecard.
Afghanistan: 115 runs
Afghanistan are now within four wickets of becoming a record-setting T20 World Cup semifinal team, and can make history. A win against Bangladesh at Arnos Vale would also knock Australia from Group 1, knocking them from contention altogether. But this match has not been without tension due to rain continuing to fall on St Vincent.
Afghanistan batsmen found it difficult to make headway against Bangladesh on an uneven wicket, as their first innings was relatively scoreless. Rishad Hossain of Bangladesh stood out with three wickets but received ample support from his teammates who restricted Afghan runs.
As the final 20 overs began, rain started pouring down heavily; but Afghanistan were still well in front. Rashid Khan made an entertaining cameo, hitting three over the ropes before throwing his bat in frustration at partner Karim Janat after he refused to take an additional run earlier in that over. Additionally, in his last over, Rashid sent one nearly out of the ground for sixes, leaving Afghanistan on 115/5 with just five overs remaining.
After an initial slow start, Litton Das and Taskin Ahmed gradually gained momentum for Bangladesh as they edged ahead of Afghanistan’s par score on DLS method. But Naveen-ul-Haq eventually broke up their partnership when he trapped Taskin Ahmed with an outside off stump pitching ball from Naveen-ul-Haq that trapped Taskin near wicket.
Bangladesh needs an emphatic win to maintain their hopes of reaching the semifinals, as they trail on DLS by five runs with just one over remaining. Furthermore, weather forecasters forecast rain – making any mistakes even more critical.
Bangladesh have just three balls remaining to secure their first ever semi-final place at the T20 World Cup. They must beat Australia in their final group match and overtake them using DLS – something which won’t come easy! And all while having some luck on their side.
Bangladesh: 105 runs
Afghanistan and Bangladesh played in an exciting World Cup match. Afghanistan took control in the first half, scoring 115 runs in 20 overs to set an incredible target score of 111 runs for themselves in total batting 20 overs, leaving Bangladesh short by eight wickets but still alive for qualification to semi-finals of this World Cup tournament if they could secure victory by an overwhelming margin.
Afghnistan scored an emphatic win and qualified for the semifinals of this World Cup for the first time ever, beating New Zealand and Australia along the way to make this feat possible. Led by Asghar Stanikzai – an internationally acclaimed cricketer who has represented both Australia and Pakistan over 30 Test matches and 200+ ODI caps while winning multiple domestic tournaments; Afghnistan made history.
He is an outstanding bowler as well, boasting more than 90 ODI wickets with an outstanding bowling average of 18.67. He was part of the team which won the 2013 Asian Champions Trophy and boasts an outstanding record against Bangladesh – six wins and two losses against them!
He holds an impressive T20I record with five wins and three losses, having taken more than 50 wickets across both formats of cricket – both T20Is and ODIs combined. Recently, his form has been excellent, so we expect him to maintain it during 2019.
Bangladesh made a solid start with their bat, but after losing several wickets quickly regressed into their old habits. Litton Das was their standout performer – hitting 54 from 49 balls with four sixes! His fellow team mates Soumya Sarkar and Towhid Hridoy made valuable contributions.
Bangladesh innings came to a close when Najmul Hossain Shanto was caught behind the stumps by Gulbadin Naib and their target was reduced from 160 in 19 overs due to adverse weather conditions.
Bangladesh are now just one wicket away from qualifying for the semi-finals and they need to get over the line within the next few overs if they want to proceed. A victory would not only boost their net run rate but set up an exciting last four clash against South Africa as well. Unfortunately, rain has begun pouring heavily at the ground and covers have been called on, which will make reaching their target more challenging in these remaining overs.
Final scorecard
Afghanistan achieved an historic first by reaching their inaugural T20 World Cup semi-final against Bangladesh at Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent in a dramatic match. Afghanistan needed only to defeat their hosts to advance further, which they did by bowling out all 105 runs off 17.5 overs for just 8 runs under DLS and winning by eight runs under DLS. They now join India and leave Australia, one of their pre-tournament favorites before the event even started, out of contention altogether.
This game was interrupted several times due to rain as a full crowd took their seats eager for an epic battle. Bangladesh were led by Litton Das who batted for 54 not out against an aggressive Afghan bowling attack led by Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi all picking up wickets for their respective sides – an achievement Litton Das could never quite match!
Taskin Ahmed struggled with Naveen-ul-Haq’s pace, who caught him LBW with a fuller length ball that angled back towards him from around off stump line. On review he appeared to get an inside edge but UltraEdge showed no indication of such and upheld its decision.
Bangladesh struggled to catch up as rain returned, and fell short by a considerable margin. Rashid found the faintest edge off Mahmudullah’s bat that required convincing from Mohammad Ishaq as replacement keeper to send for review; and it proved right as Mahmudullah slumped down in despair on to the ground in despair.
Naveen-ul-Haq struck gold with his final delivery as he sent Mustafizur Rahman reeling plumb in front for an edge that sent wild celebrations among Afghanistan players, staff and fans into frenzy. Even as replays clarified the decision made on replay review for what will go down as one of cricket’s greatest contests ever! This unforgettable match provided an excellent conclusion to one of cricket’s most exciting and heart-pounding contests ever.
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