ABU DHABI: Mustafizur Rahman starred with a three-wicket haul as Bangladesh secured a narrow eight-run victory over Afghanistan to stay alive in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 clash here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Set a 155-run target, Afghanistan faltered in the chase and were bowled out for 146 on the last ball of the match.
Afghanistan had a contrasting start as they lost their opening two wickets in 4.1 overs. As a result, they were reduced to 18-2.
After the early hiccup, Gulbadin Naib and Rahmanullah Gurbaz paired up for a brief stand of 33 runs. However, with the required run-rate mounting, Naib and Gurbaz fell in quick time.
Bangladesh kept chipping away with regular wickets, and despite Azmatullah Omarzai’s 30 off 16 and Rashid Khan’s 20 off 11, Afghanistan fell short of the target.
For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman remained the standout bowler, taking three wickets in his four overs. Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, and Nasum Ahmed chipped in with two wickets each.
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Earlier, after opting to bat first, Bangladesh posted 154-5 in their allocated 20 overs despite having a strong start.
The Tigers’ openers provided them a strong foundation, scoring 63 in 6.4 overs. Saif Hassan, who made 30 from 28 balls, played the second fiddle, whereas Tanzid Hasan remained the core aggressor.
Despite the wicket, Bangladesh continued to pile runs, particularly Taniz charging the bowlers. Noor Ahmad removed skipper Litton Das for nine to lift Afghanistan at the halfway stage of the innings.
However, it was Tanzid’s wicket that put the brakes on Bangladesh’s progress. He departed after a brisk knock. He smashed three sixes and four boundaries on his way to 52 off 31 balls.
The second half of the innings belonged to Afghanistan as they restricted Bangladesh batters from going big with a clinical bowling display. This was primarily due to Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed, who gave 26 and 23 runs respectively in their four overs.
Playing XIs
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Saif Hassan, Litton Das (capt & wk), Towhid Hridoy, Nurul Hasan, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed
Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (capt), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi
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