Bangladesh Under-19s began their Asia Cup campaign with a win on Saturday, chasing down a target of 284 to beat Afghanistan in their opening group match.
Led by captain Azizul Hakim Tamim, Bangladesh were powered by a strong opening partnership between Jawad Abrar and Rifat Beg, who put on 151 runs. Jawad fell agonisingly short of a century, dismissed for 96, and his departure briefly tightened the contest, but Bangladesh reached the target with seven balls remaining and three wickets in hand.
Speaking after the match, Tamim praised his side’s start and their batting depth. “We made a good start today, which helped us a lot later in the match,” he said. “284 is a big chase. I believe our batting is very strong and that was clear today.”
Tamim singled out the opening pair for their contribution, while also pointing to areas for improvement. “The way Jawad and Rifat played today was very good,” he said. “We need to be a bit better in bowling. From my side and from the other bowlers, we have to improve, because the next matches are against big teams and if we want to win, we cannot give them any margin.”
The captain also stressed that team success matters more than individual milestones. “We play only to make Bangladesh win,” Tamim said. “Missing a hundred or a fifty is not something to worry about. Our thinking is about winning the match. Even small partnerships later on, by Alin, Jibon and Rizan, brought important runs at the end and helped the team a lot. That is very important for us.”
Bangladesh are in Group B of this year’s Under-19 Asia Cup alongside Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Nepal. Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka won their opening matches, with Sri Lanka top of the group on net run rate and Bangladesh second. The top two teams from the group will progress to the semi-finals.
