AFG vs BAN: Afghanistan secured a historic victory over Bangladesh by just eight runs. This win not only propels them to their first-ever semi-final in a men’s senior World Cup but also knocks Australia out of the tournament.
A Match of Twists and Turns:
Multiple rain interruptions disrupted the flow of the match, adding to the drama. Bangladesh needed a revised target of 116 runs in a shortened 12.1 overs to qualify for the semi-finals. However, a combination of disciplined bowling from Afghanistan, led by four-wicket hauls from Naveen-ul-Haq and Rashid Khan, and some crucial Bangladeshi batting collapses kept the outcome uncertain.
Litton Das’ Fightback & Renewed Hope:
Opener Litton Das, with a valiant knock of 36 runs, emerged as a lone warrior for Bangladesh, defying the odds and keeping their semi-final hopes alive. However, crucial wickets from Rashid and Naveen in the later stages shattered Bangladesh’s momentum.
Naveen’s Early Strikes & Gurbaz-Ibrahim Partnership:
Earlier, Naveen’s fiery opening spell rattled the Bangladeshi batting order, claiming three quick wickets for Afghanistan. However, a solid partnership between openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran (50-run stand) steadied the Afghan innings.
Rishad’s Spin & Rashid’s Late Flourish:
Bangladesh’s spinner, Shoriful Islam, applied pressure in the middle overs, claiming the crucial wicket of Ibrahim. Later, Rashid Khan’s late cameo (19 runs off 10 balls) provided a much-needed boost to Afghanistan’s total, ultimately proving decisive.
A Night of Celebration & History Made:
The final dismissal, secured by Naveen, sparked jubilant celebrations amongst the Afghan players. This victory marks a momentous occasion for Afghanistan cricket, etching their name in the history books with a place in the T20 World Cup semi-final.
AFG vs BAN: Full Scorecard
Afghanistan (20 ovs maximum)
| BATTING | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz † | c Soumya Sarkar b Rishad Hossain | 43 | 55 | 69 | 3 | 1 | 78.18 | ||
| Ibrahim Zadran | c Tanzim Hasan Sakib b Rishad Hossain | 18 | 29 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 62.06 | ||
| Azmatullah Omarzai | c †Litton Das b Mustafizur Rahman | 10 | 12 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 83.33 | ||
| Gulbadin Naib | c Soumya Sarkar b Rishad Hossain | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 | ||
| Mohammad Nabi | c Najmul Hossain Shanto b Taskin Ahmed | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 | ||
| Karim Janat | not out | 7 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 116.66 | ||
| Rashid Khan (c) | not out | 19 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 190.00 | ||
| Extras | (b 5, w 8) | 13 | |||||||
| TOTAL | 20 Ov (RR: 5.75) | 115/5 | |||||||
| Did not bat: Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi | |||||||||
| Fall of wickets: 1-59 (Ibrahim Zadran, 10.4 ov), 2-84 (Azmatullah Omarzai, 15.5 ov), 3-88 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 16.1 ov), 4-89 (Gulbadin Naib, 16.4 ov), 5-93 (Mohammad Nabi, 17.4 ov) • DRS | |||||||||
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzim Hasan Sakib | 4 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 9.00 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Taskin Ahmed | 4 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 3.00 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Shakib Al Hasan | 4 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 4.75 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Mustafizur Rahman | 4 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 4.25 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rishad Hossain | 4 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 6.50 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Bangladesh (T: 114 runs from 19 ovs)
| BATTING | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Litton Das † | not out | 54 | 49 | 95 | 5 | 1 | 110.20 | ||
| Tanzid Hasan | lbw b Fazalhaq Farooqi | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | ||
| Najmul Hossain Shanto (c) | c Mohammad Nabi b Naveen-ul-Haq | 5 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 | ||
| Shakib Al Hasan | c & b Naveen-ul-Haq | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | ||
| Soumya Sarkar | b Rashid Khan | 10 | 10 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 | ||
| Towhid Hridoy | c Ibrahim Zadran b Rashid Khan | 14 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 155.55 | ||
| Mahmudullah | c sub (Mohammad Ishaq) b Rashid Khan | 6 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 66.66 | ||
| Rishad Hossain | b Rashid Khan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | ||
| Tanzim Hasan Sakib | c Mohammad Nabi b Gulbadin Naib | 3 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 30.00 | ||
| Taskin Ahmed | b Naveen-ul-Haq | 2 | 9 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 22.22 | ||
| Mustafizur Rahman | lbw b Naveen-ul-Haq | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | ||
| Extras | (b 1, lb 7, w 3) | 11 | |||||||
| TOTAL | 17.5 Ov (RR: 5.88) | 105 | |||||||
| Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Tanzid Hasan, 1.3 ov), 2-23 (Najmul Hossain Shanto, 2.4 ov), 3-23 (Shakib Al Hasan, 2.5 ov), 4-48 (Soumya Sarkar, 6.3 ov), 5-64 (Towhid Hridoy, 8.2 ov), 6-80 (Mahmudullah, 10.5 ov), 7-80 (Rishad Hossain, 10.6 ov), 8-92 (Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 14.2 ov), 9-105 (Taskin Ahmed, 17.4 ov), 10-105 (Mustafizur Rahman, 17.5 ov) • DRS | |||||||||
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naveen-ul-Haq | 3.5 | 0 | 26 | 4 | 6.78 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 7.50 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Mohammad Nabi | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 7.50 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rashid Khan | 4 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 5.75 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Noor Ahmad | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3.25 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Gulbadin Naib | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2.50 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
