Bangladesh pip Afghanistan in 2nd T20I, seal series: Details here
What's the story
Shoriful Islam was the star of the show as Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by two wickets in the second T20I at Sharjah. The win gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Despite a batting collapse, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, and Nurul Hasan's middle-order contributions helped Bangladesh secure victory in a tense finish. Chasing 148 runs, Bangladesh managed 150/8 in 19.1 overs. Here's more.
Match details
Bangladesh collapse after promising start
Bangladesh's innings took a hit as they went from 102/4 to 129/8 in just four overs. Noor Ahmad dismissed Shamim for 33, while Nasum Ahmed fell after a promising start with the bat. Azmatullah Omarzai took two wickets in the 18th over, leaving Bangladesh needing 19 runs off the final two overs with only two wickets remaining.
Final push
Nurul, Shoriful guide Bangladesh to victory
Nurul kept Bangladesh's hopes alive with a six off Noor before taking a single. Shoriful then hit a boundary, leaving Bangladesh needing just two runs in the final over. He took charge and hit Omarzai's first ball down the ground for the winning runs. Nurul remained unbeaten on 31 off 21 balls while Shoriful contributed an important 11* off six balls.
Batting resilience
Shamim, Jaker steady Bangladesh's ship after poor start
Omarzai gave Afghanistan a perfect start by dismissing openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain. Despite Saif Hassan hitting a couple of sixes, he fell to Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the fifth over. However, Shamim and Jaker Ali steadied the ship with a 56-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Jaker was dismissed by Rashid Khan for his second consecutive time in this series.
Bowling prowess
Afghanistan manage 147/5
Earlier, Afghanistan's openers Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal gave their captain Rashid Khan the start he wanted. However, things changed when Atal was caught at long-on for 23 after hitting two sixes off Rishad Hossain in the eighth over. Nasum Ahmed then dismissed Zadran for 38 off 37 balls, while Wafiullah Tarakhil fell for just one run, also caught at long-on. Afghanistan were reduced to 90/4 and 118/5 before getting to 147/5.
Do you know?
Azmatullah Omarzai shines for the Afghans
Omarzai had a neat all-round show. He scored an unbeaten 19 with the bat before picking 4 scalps with the ball. He managed 4/23 with the ball. This was his 2nd four-fer in T20Is. He has raced to 39 wickets at 29.02.