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Bangladesh beat Afghanistan 3-0 with the help of bowlers and Saif’s strong performance
Bangladesh beat Afghanistan 3-0 with the help of bowlers and Saif’s strong performance
Bangladesh wrapped up a 3-0 clean sweep over Afghanistan in the T20I series in Sharjah, using the same successful chasing strategy in all three games. In the final match, Saif Hassan starred again with an unbeaten 64 off 38 balls, helping Bangladesh win by six wickets.
Afghanistan struggled after being asked to bat first. Their top and middle order failed to fire, and only some late hitting from Darwish Rasooli and Mujeeb Ur Rahman helped them reach 143 for 9 in 20 overs.
Bangladesh began their chase strongly with Tanzid Hasan attacking early. Saif then took charge, smashing seven sixes and two fours to reach his fourth T20I fifty. Despite a few hiccups in the middle, Nurul Hasan finished the match with a six, sealing the win with two overs left. He remained not out in all three games of the series.
In the early overs, Parvez Hossain hit a four and a six before getting out in the fifth over. Saif responded with a six, and Tanzid hit Rashid Khan and Mujeeb for boundaries. Tanzid scored 33 off 33 balls and added 55 runs with Saif, giving Bangladesh a solid start.
After a good partnership, Bangladesh lost quick wickets again. Captain Jaker Ali survived two close lbw calls but was later dismissed by Mujeeb. Shamim Hossain was bowled for a golden duck, adding pressure. Saif calmly played Rashid’s final over and then hit two big sixes off debutant Bashir Ahmad to reach his fifty. Nurul finished the chase with a six off Ahmadzai.
Bangladesh’s bowlers were sharp in the power play. Shoriful Islam removed Ibrahim Zadran early, and Shamim took a great catch to dismiss Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Nasum Ahmed and Mohammad Saifuddin kept the pressure on, with Saifuddin picking up three wickets.
Afghanistan were 106 for 8 by the 15th over, but Rasooli and Mujeeb added 34 runs for the ninth wicket. Rasooli hit a few boundaries before falling to Saifuddin. Mujeeb added one more four to push the total past 140, giving Afghanistan something to defend but it wasn’t enough against Bangladesh’s strong batting.