Afghanistan set a target of 147 runs for Bangladesh in the second T20 International of the series, played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. After being sent in to bat, Afghanistan struggled for fluency against Bangladesh’s spinners and relied on a late surge from Mohammad Nabi to reach a competitive total.
The innings began cautiously with openers Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran opting for a measured approach. Their opening stand of 55 runs was broken by Rishad Hossain in the 8th over when he dismissed Atal for 23 runs off 19 balls.
Ibrahim was then joined by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and the pair kept the scoreboard ticking. Ibrahim played a steady knock of 38 from 37 balls before being dismissed with the score at 71. Gurbaz made a useful 30 from 22 deliveries.
Bangladesh kept the runs in check in the middle overs, making sure scoring wouldn’t come easy for the hosts. Economical spells from Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Mohammad Saiffudin were key in keeping the Afghan batters in check.
In the closing overs, Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai added vital runs to push the total closer to 150. Nabi remained unbeaten on 20 from just 12 balls, while Omarzai finished on 19 not out from 17 deliveries. Afghanistan ended their innings on 147 for 5 after 20 overs.
For Bangladesh, Rishad Hossain and Nasum Ahmed took two wickets each, while Shoriful Islam was the most economical, conceding only 13 runs and claiming one wicket. Saifuddin was economical too but it was a day to forget for premier pacer Mustafizur Rahman who conceded 40 runs in his 4 overs, including 10 in the last one.
