Nasum Ahmed’s powerplay blitz with the ball halted Bangladesh’s eight-match T20I losing skid, as they beat Afghanistan easily in the first of two T20Is at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, where the surface didn’t offer too much venom for the spinners for a change. It just added to Nasum’s brilliance, as he ripped through Afghanistan’s top order with figures of 4-0-10-4, with skipper Mahmudullah expertly bowling him out within the first seven overs of their defence to keep the visitors on the back foot.
Bangladesh won the opening T20 match by 61 runs and now leads the two-match T20 series 1-0. With the bowling, Shoriful Islam and Nasum Ahmed were unstoppable. Bangladesh’s bowlers have completely astonished Afghanistan in this match.
The Bangladesh Tigers won the toss and chose to bat first. In this match, the dew factor will not be a significant issue. Due to a thumb injury received during a practise session, Mushfiqar Rahim has been ruled out of the first T20 encounter.
After a rough start against Afghanistan, Bangladesh batted first and rode on Liton Das’ half-century to reach a score of 155/8. In a rematch, Afghanistan’s batters were unable to rise to the occasion and were easily dismissed without causing any trouble to the opponents.
Afghanistan skipper Mohammed Nabi attempted to increase the run rate by delivering a single to the fielder on the boundary. Bangladesh got off to a flying start, with Nasum Ahmed taking four top-order wickets in the first five overs.
According to Mahmudullah, Bangladesh’s winning captain, the form they fought with the bat and ball, as well as the ferocity, was really fulfilling. Mentions that the amount was manageable and that his bowlers did an outstanding job. He praises Nasum Ahmed’s spell and refers to it as a match-changing spell. Liton Das’ batting performance is also lauded, with the coach adding that once he gets going, he is a sight to behold. He shares his joy for his team, saying that it was a huge win for them and that he expects them to come up and win the next game as well.
