Bangladesh found a partnership after an early collapse, but could not turn it into a competitive total. Afghanistan dismissed them for 160 in Sharjah on 21 October, then completed a seven-wicket win to book a tri-series final against Zimbabwe. Afghanistan Cricket Board’s result announcement.

Rashid Khan took four for 31, and Rahmat Shah’s unbeaten 67 carried the chase home. Between those performances lay the decisive difference: Afghanistan sustained their pressure after Bangladesh rebuilt, then kept their own reply intact after losing early wickets. Completed scorecard.

Bangladesh’s first seven overs shaped the innings

Team Total Overs
Bangladesh 160 all out 41.2
Afghanistan 161 for three 35.3

Afghanistan won by seven wickets. Result and innings figures.

Bangladesh chose to bat but fell to 28 for four. Yamin Ahmadzai removed Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar, while Azmatullah Omarzai dismissed Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy. Early wickets.

That left the next pair with a difficult balance to strike. Another immediate wicket would expose the lower order, but a recovery taking most of the remaining overs could still leave Bangladesh short of runs. Surviving the opening damage was only the first part of the task.

Parvez Hossain Emon and Saif Hassan added 93 from 146 deliveries. Saif made 41 and Emon 70 from 96 balls before Rashid trapped him leg-before. Bangladesh’s rebuilding partnership.

The stand gave the innings substance, but it also used a large share of Bangladesh’s remaining deliveries. Once it ended, the batters coming in had to supply the acceleration. Afghanistan’s attack prevented that next phase from developing.

Rashid closed the route to a larger total

Ahmadzai and Omarzai each finished with two wickets. Mohammad Nabi and Bilal Sami took one apiece alongside Rashid’s four. ACB’s bowling summary.

The distribution matters. Bangladesh’s early trouble came against the seamers; the recovery then had to survive Afghanistan’s other bowling options. There was no single spell to see off before the innings could open up.

Rashid’s contribution completed work already begun by the attack. Taking wickets after a rebuilding partnership is especially valuable because it removes the established batter just as the batting side needs to increase its scoring. New arrivals inherit that demand without the benefit of time at the crease.

Bangladesh also left more than eight overs unused. The earlier partnership had preserved the possibility of a late push, but the wickets meant there were no batters left to attempt it.

Rahmat made the small target stay small

Rahmat finished on 67 not out from 90 deliveries, with Hashmatullah Shahidi unbeaten on 36. Ibrahim Zadran contributed 34. Afghanistan reached the target with 87 balls remaining, eliminating Bangladesh from the competition. The Daily Star’s completed-match report.

There was little reason for Afghanistan to chase a modest target at an exceptional rate. Their task was to prevent Bangladesh from taking wickets in clusters and making the required runs difficult to reach with the remaining batting.

Rahmat supplied that control. His innings allowed Afghanistan to absorb the loss of partners without repeatedly changing their approach. Shahidi then helped complete the chase, giving Bangladesh no late opening.

For Bangladesh, Emon and Saif’s stand remains a useful contribution inside a poor total. The larger issue is the pressure created by losing four wickets so quickly, then failing to extend the recovery into a productive finish. Afghanistan won because their attack kept both phases under control and their captain gave the reply the continuity Bangladesh had lacked.

Sources