Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by a slim margin of eight runs in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, extending their Asia Cup 2025 campaign.
After winning the toss, Bangladesh chose to bat first, and Tanzid and Saif Hassan helped them get off to a great start. In the power play, the two added 63. Tanzid finished his innings with seven boundaries in his 31-ball 52, reaching his fifty off just 28 balls.
Afghanistan’s spinners, however, recovered admirably. Bangladesh managed just 154/5 in their 20 overs when Noor Ahmad (2/23) and Rashid Khan (2/26) put an end to the run-flow in the middle overs by dismissing Litton Das, Saif Hassan, and Shamim Hossain.
Nasum Ahmed hit with the first delivery in Afghanistan’s reply, trapping Sediqullah Atal leg before wicket. Then, in a power move, he took Ibrahim Zadran out. Gulbadin Naib and Rahmanullah Gurbaz attempted to control the innings, but Rishad Hossain’s twin strikes further put them behind.
Azmatullah Omarzai’s string of sixes made the chase exciting. The momentum was restored with his 30 off 16 balls, but Taskin Ahmed got rid of him just as he was about to end the match. Rashid Khan, the captain, hit 20 off of 11 balls. The match was all but sealed at the end when Mustafizur Rahman bowled the crucial 19th over, giving up just five runs and dismissing Rashid.
Afghanistan needed 22 runs from the final over, and Noor Ahmad hit two sixes to cut the loss margin. However, Afghanistan was bowled out for 146 after he was out on the last delivery.
Who Made What Remark?
Nasum Ahmed, the match’s MVP
The captain has asked me to bowl with the new ball, which I always like to do. I adore that challenge. Gripping the ball was difficult today due to the excessive perspiration, but I like difficulties like these.
Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (Losing Captain)
Despite staying in the game until the very end, we were unable to complete it. It was really easy to get 30 off 18 balls. We haven’t engaged in attacking cricket, for which we are renowned. We allowed ourselves to be under a lot of stress. It was remarkable how we returned with the ball and kept them below 160, but we made several careless batting errors. In Twenty20 cricket, you have to recover when the opposition takes the game away in the first six overs. We learnt a lot from this game. In the Asia Cup, every match matters. Sri Lanka will be a significant challenge, therefore we must be well-prepared.
Bangladesh’s Litton Das (winning captain)
Although it was a relief to win the game, we struggled to bat in the final four or five overs. Even though I thought there were enough runs, we still felt like we needed another 15 to 20. Nasum and Rishad bowled in a unique fashion that truly demonstrated their skill. Tamim batted brilliantly today, and the opening duo was essential. I’m not sure; let’s see.
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