Bangladesh seal last-over thriller despite Janat hat-trick
Bangladesh 157 for 8 (Hridoy 47*, Shamim 33, Janat 3-15) beat Afghanistan 154 for 7 (Nabi 54*, Omarzai 33, Shakib 2-27) by two wickets
Bangladesh overcame a scare to beat Afghanistan by two wickets in the first T20I in Sylhet. Down to 64 for 4 in a chase of 155, Bangladesh owed their turnaround to Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain, whose 73-run stand put them in a comfortable position. But with two needed off the last five balls, pacer Karim Janat took a hat-trick to keep Afghanistan in the game with Hridoy stuck at the non-striker's end. Shoriful Islam, at No.10, then took Bangladesh home with a cracking cut shot for four.
Six runs were needed from the final over when Mehidy Hasan Miraz crunched a cover drive off the first delivery, before throwing his wicket away with a pull to midwicket.Read More : Pakistan bowlers fight back against Black Caps in second Test Taskin Ahmed was caught behind the following ball, and Nasum Ahmed top-edged a catch to deep third as Janat completed the hat-trick. Hridoy was unbeaten on 47 off 32 balls with three fours and two sixes and did not face a ball in that final over.
Earlier, Mohammad Nabi's fifth half-century in T20Is lifted Afghanistan to a modest total from 52 for 4. He made 54 off 40 with six fours and a six. Azmatullah Omarzai struck a 18-ball 33 with four sixes as the pair added 56 for the sixth wicket in 5.1 overs.
Shamim, Hridoy lift Bangladesh
At the start of the 13th over, Bangladesh's required run rate was 9.5 per over and they had six wickets in hand. Hridoy began the assault by slamming Omarzai's first ball for four over mid-off. He followed it up with a brutal pull shot for another four. Shamim then struck an awkward-looking pull for another boundary. Three more runs in the last two balls fetched Bangladesh 21 runs in the over, which brought the asking rate down to 7.85.
With Shamim on 23, Najibullah Zadran dropped a sitter at deep square leg, which proved to be a game-changing moment. Hridoy and Shamim then scored 16 runs in the next over, bowled by Fazalhaq Farooqi. While Shamim got into an awkward position to play a scoop over fine-leg for four while losing balance, Hridoy pulled away a six in that over to ease tension. Shamim eventually fell for a 25-ball 33 in the 18th over, bowled by Rashid Khan.
Afghanistan strike early
Defending 154, Farooqi got the ball going through Rony Talukdar's bat and pad to rattle his stumps early. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was lucky when his delivery struck Najmul Hossain Shanto's hip before hitting the stumps. Bangladesh were sluggish in the powerplay, reaching 37 for two. Omarzai had Litton Das caught at mid-off in the seventh over for 18 off 19.
Shakib Al Hasan tried to accelerate with some unusual shots - a scoop, a ramp and a lofted straight one off the back foot - but his stay was short-lived. He slapped a ball straight to Janat at deep point to leave Bangladesh at 64 for 4.
Bangladesh start well with the ball, too
After choosing to bowl, Bangladesh's bowlers responded to their captain's words on the match eve, about the need to start well. Taskin Ahmed led the charge with ten dot balls in his first three overs in the powerplay.
Nasum had Hazratullah Zazai miscuing a whip to Hridoy at square leg in the third over. Rahmanullah Gurbaz swung Taskin to fine leg where Mehidy took a good tumbling catch. Shoriful removed Ibrahim Zadran for the fifth time on this tour, when the young batter was caught behind. When Shakib had Janat caught at mid-off, Afghanistan had lost four of their batters for 52.
Nabi ensures Afghanistan's great finish
Nabi put on 35 runs for the fifth wicket with Najibullah Zadran, who was sharply caught by Litton in the 14th over. He then shared a crucial stand with Omarzai to give Afghanistan something to defend. Omarzai upper-cut Taskin for his first six, before smashing three fours.
Afghanistan took 53 runs in the last four overs with overs 17-19 going for 14 runs each. Shakib removed Omarzai in the 19th over after he struck him for two sixes.
Nabi reached his fifty in the last over. His only six came in the 17th over when he deposited Takin over midwicket. His innings ensured Afghanistan got to a competitive total.
Bangladesh overcame a scare to beat Afghanistan by two wickets in the first T20I in Sylhet. Down to 64 for 4 in a chase of 155, Bangladesh owed their turnaround to Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain, whose 73-run stand put them in a comfortable position. But with two needed off the last five balls, pacer Karim Janat took a hat-trick to keep Afghanistan in the game with Hridoy stuck at the non-striker's end. Shoriful Islam, at No.10, then took Bangladesh home with a cracking cut shot for four.
Six runs were needed from the final over when Mehidy Hasan Miraz crunched a cover drive off the first delivery, before throwing his wicket away with a pull to midwicket.
Earlier, Mohammad Nabi's fifth half-century in T20Is lifted Afghanistan to a modest total from 52 for 4. He made 54 off 40 with six fours and a six. Azmatullah Omarzai struck a 18-ball 33 with four sixes as the pair added 56 for the sixth wicket in 5.1 overs.
Shamim, Hridoy lift Bangladesh
At the start of the 13th over, Bangladesh's required run rate was 9.5 per over and they had six wickets in hand. Hridoy began the assault by slamming Omarzai's first ball for four over mid-off. He followed it up with a brutal pull shot for another four. Shamim then struck an awkward-looking pull for another boundary. Three more runs in the last two balls fetched Bangladesh 21 runs in the over, which brought the asking rate down to 7.85.
With Shamim on 23, Najibullah Zadran dropped a sitter at deep square leg, which proved to be a game-changing moment. Hridoy and Shamim then scored 16 runs in the next over, bowled by Fazalhaq Farooqi. While Shamim got into an awkward position to play a scoop over fine-leg for four while losing balance, Hridoy pulled away a six in that over to ease tension. Shamim eventually fell for a 25-ball 33 in the 18th over, bowled by Rashid Khan.
Afghanistan strike early
Defending 154, Farooqi got the ball going through Rony Talukdar's bat and pad to rattle his stumps early. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was lucky when his delivery struck Najmul Hossain Shanto's hip before hitting the stumps. Bangladesh were sluggish in the powerplay, reaching 37 for two. Omarzai had Litton Das caught at mid-off in the seventh over for 18 off 19.
Shakib Al Hasan tried to accelerate with some unusual shots - a scoop, a ramp and a lofted straight one off the back foot - but his stay was short-lived. He slapped a ball straight to Janat at deep point to leave Bangladesh at 64 for 4.
Bangladesh start well with the ball, too
After choosing to bowl, Bangladesh's bowlers responded to their captain's words on the match eve, about the need to start well. Taskin Ahmed led the charge with ten dot balls in his first three overs in the powerplay.
Nasum had Hazratullah Zazai miscuing a whip to Hridoy at square leg in the third over. Rahmanullah Gurbaz swung Taskin to fine leg where Mehidy took a good tumbling catch. Shoriful removed Ibrahim Zadran for the fifth time on this tour, when the young batter was caught behind. When Shakib had Janat caught at mid-off, Afghanistan had lost four of their batters for 52.
Nabi ensures Afghanistan's great finish
Nabi put on 35 runs for the fifth wicket with Najibullah Zadran, who was sharply caught by Litton in the 14th over. He then shared a crucial stand with Omarzai to give Afghanistan something to defend. Omarzai upper-cut Taskin for his first six, before smashing three fours.
Afghanistan took 53 runs in the last four overs with overs 17-19 going for 14 runs each. Shakib removed Omarzai in the 19th over after he struck him for two sixes.
Nabi reached his fifty in the last over. His only six came in the 17th over when he deposited Takin over midwicket. His innings ensured Afghanistan got to a competitive total.
Source: www.espncricinfo.com
