Bangladesh made four changes to their XI in a must-win game against Afghanistan on Tuesday evening to keep their Super Four dream alive.
Parvez Hossain Emon, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Shoriful Islam, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib were left out, while Saif Hassan, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Taskin Ahmed, and Nasum Ahmed came into the side at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
How did these changes pay off in a hard-fought 8-run victory over Afghanistan? Let’s take a flashback.
Nasum Ahmed, the left-arm spinner, had been on the bench for the first two matches. But in his very first delivery of the innings while defending 154, he struck, removing Sediqullah Atal for a duck. It was a flighted, good-length ball that skidded on the stumps. Atal tried to play it across the line on the back foot but missed completely, trapping him plumb in front. A wicket-maiden over to start his spell.
Nasum struck again in the powerplay, this time dismissing Ibrahim Zadran in his second over with a similar type of delivery. Even a DRS review could not save Zadran.
Returning in the 18th over, Nasum claimed another scalp off his very first ball. Karim Janat slashed hard towards extra-cover, but Nurul Hasan made a stunning full-length stop and quickly fired the ball to Litton Das at the striker’s end.
Janat, stranded halfway down the pitch, was run out. Nasum finished his brilliant four-over spell with figures of 2 for 11, including a maiden.
When Saif Hassan was picked in the Asia Cup squad, BCB chief selector Gazi Ashraf explained the choice by saying they wanted someone who could bat at the top of the order and bowl a few overs if needed. Saif replaced Parvez, who had failed to deliver in the first two games, and was handed a chance against Afghanistan.
Saif began his innings with a single after being dropped by Azmatullah Omorzai in the very first over. He then built a 63-run partnership with Tanzid Hasan, lasting 6.4 overs. He contributed 30 runs with two boundaries and the first six of the Bangladesh innings.
With only four frontline bowlers in the XI, Saif was used as the fifth bowling option by captain Litton Das. But unlike his batting, his bowling was expensive. He conceded 39 runs in just three overs, including four sixes and a boundary.
Luckily for Bangladesh, this gamble did not prove costly, though such risky team combinations could backfire on another day.
Nurul Hasan had a decisive impact as well. First, he chipped in with a quickfire 12 off 6 balls in the death overs, hitting two boundaries. Then came his moment in the field. With Bangladesh desperate for a breakthrough, Nurul produced a spectacular run-out, diving full-length at cover to stop the ball and firing a direct throw to Litton. That dismissal shifted the momentum firmly in Bangladesh’s favor.
Taskin Ahmed returned to the XI after being rested against Sri Lanka. In the 16th over, he was hit for a massive 100-metre six by Azmatullah Omorzai. But Taskin bounced back immediately, taking the pace off the very next ball and inducing a mistimed shot that flew to backward point, where Saif took a brilliant catch. Taskin later removed Noor Ahmad off the final ball of the innings to finish with figures of 2 for 34.
Playing without a genuine fifth bowler in a do-or-die clash was a big risk, and at times it looked like it might cost Bangladesh. This time, Litton’s men escaped with a hard-fought win, but on another day the same gamble could easily go the other way.
