Bangladesh captain Jaker Ali played down concerns after his side dramatically lost six wickets for just nine runs in the first T20 against Afghanistan, insisting that such collapses “can happen in international cricket.”
Chasing 151 in Dhaka, Bangladesh appeared to be cruising towards victory following a superb 109-run opening stand. But within the space of 24 balls, the scoreboard lurched from 109 for no loss to 118 for six, with Jaker himself among the batters dismissed.
Despite the scare, Nurul Hasan and Rishad Hossain steadied the innings with a 35-run stand off 18 deliveries, taking the Tigers home by four wickets with eight balls remaining.
Reflecting on the chaotic passage of play, Jaker said: “I was sitting comfortably in the dressing room. Such things can happen in international cricket. I am satisfied with the boys’ effort.”
He admitted, however, that there was room for improvement. “We had started well in the chase. Then the collapse was concerning, but cricket is a funny game. They came hard at us. Winning and losing are both parts of the game. In both bowling and batting there are some areas we need to improve.”
Earlier, Bangladesh’s bowlers reduced Afghanistan to 40 for four before Mohammad Nabi and Sharafuddin Ashraf revived the innings with a 92-run partnership, helping their side post 151. Jaker noted that conceding too many runs at the death had nearly undone the good work of the new-ball attack. “The bowlers always do well. But today at the end we gave away a bit too many runs. That’s why I’m saying there are areas for improvement,” he explained.
With Bangladesh taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, Jaker is hopeful of capitalising on the momentum. “This win has given us confidence. Tomorrow we are looking at sealing the series,” he said ahead of the second match, scheduled for today.
