New Delhi: Spinner Allah Ghazanfar orchestrated Bangladesh’s stunning batting collapse with six wickets as Afghanistan notched up a 92-run win in the first of a three-match ODI series in Sharjah on Wednesday.
After bowling out the Afghans for 235 runs in 49.4 overs, Bangladesh looked comfortable at 120/2 around the halfway stage of their innings. But then they lost their last eight wickets for only 23 runs to get skittled out for 143 in 34.3 overs.
Off-spinner Ghazanfar was the chief destroyer, claiming four of the lawst five Bangladeshi wickets to run through the lower middle as Afghanistan took a 1-0 lead.
The 18-year-old came back for his second spell to pick up his maiden fifer in ODIs as Bangladesh batters were flummoxed as to which way the ball turned.
Some of them tried to defend against Ghazanfar while others tried to attack, all efforts going in vain. Star leg spinner Rashid Khan (2/28) made two crucial breakthroughs.
Together they made up for their sloppy fielding of dropping several catches. For Bangladesh, skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 47 was their top score.
Shanto put together two 50+ partnerships for the second and third wicket with Soumya Sarkar (33) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (28), but the procession began once he departed in the 26th over to Mohammad Nabi (1/23).
Earlier, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and had no hesitation to bat, as he expected the Sharjah pitch to turn later that would help their spinners.
But his team slipped to 35 for 4 in the 10th over, and then slumped further to 71 for 5 in the 20th on a slow surface, where batters found stroke-making difficult.
By then, left arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman (4/58) had struck three blows while Taskin Ahmed (4/53) had claimed two scalps.
But Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (52) held the innings together from one end and together with Mohammad Nabi (84) did the repair job with a 104-run stand.
Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghazanfar claimed six wickets as they defeated Bangladesh by 92 runs in the first ODI in Sharjah on Wednesday Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
