Bangladesh started their World Cup campaign with a convincing six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday. The Tigers bowled out the Afghans for a paltry 156 in 37.2 overs and chased down the target with 15.2 overs to spare. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto were the stars of the show for Bangladesh, as they scored unbeaten half-centuries and shared a 97-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Bangladesh restrict Afghanistan to 156
Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and opted to field first, hoping to exploit the early morning conditions. His decision proved to be right, as his bowlers kept a tight leash on the Afghan batsmen and picked up regular wickets. Shakib himself was the pick of the bowlers, as he claimed three wickets for 30 runs in eight overs. He also became the first player to take 50 wickets in World Cups.
The only resistance from Afghanistan came from opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored 47 off 62 balls with four fours and a six. He added 47 runs for the first wicket with Ibrahim Zadran (22) and 35 runs for the third wicket with Hashmatullah Shahidi (18). However, once he was dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman in the 26th over, Afghanistan collapsed from 112 for 3 to 156 all out. Azmatullah Omarzai (22) was the only other batsman to reach double figures.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the other standout bowler for Bangladesh, as he took three wickets for 25 runs in nine overs. He also bowled a maiden over and had an economy rate of 2.77. Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman chipped in with one wicket each.
| Afghanistan Innings | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | c Tanzid Hasan b Mustafizur Rahman | 47 | 62 | 112 | 4 | 1 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | c Tanzid Hasan b Shakib Al Hasan | 22 | 25 | 41 | 3 | 1 |
| Rahmat Shah | c Litton Das b Shakib Al Hasan | 18 | 25 | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi (C) | c Towhid Hridoy b Mehidy Hasan Miraz | 18 | 38 | 34 | 2 | 0 |
| Najibullah Zadran | b Shakib Al Hasan | 5 | 13 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Mohammad Nabi | b Taskin Ahmed | 6 | 12 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | b Shoriful Islam | 22 | 20 | 32 | 4 | 0 |
| Rashid Khan | b Mehidy Hasan Miraz | 9 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | b Mehidy Hasan Miraz | 1 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | c Towhid Hridoy b Shoriful Islam | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | not out | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Extras (w 8), TOTAL 37.2 Ov (RR: 4.17)
Bangladesh cruise to victory
Bangladesh did not have any trouble in chasing down the modest target, as they reached it in just 34.4 overs with six wickets in hand. They lost Liton Das (9) early, as he edged Naveen-ul-Haq to the keeper in the fourth over. However, Soumya Sarkar (28) and Shakib Al Hasan (24) steadied the innings with a 44-run stand for the second wicket.
Afghanistan fought back with three quick wickets, as Rashid Khan removed Soumya and Shakib in successive overs, while Mohammad Nabi trapped Mushfiqur Rahim (12) lbw. Bangladesh were reduced to 61 for 4 in the 16th over and needed some stability.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto provided that, as they batted sensibly and took the game away from Afghanistan. Mehidy was the more aggressive of the two, as he hit seven fours and a six in his 57 off 73 balls. Najmul was more cautious, as he scored 51 off 81 balls with four fours. They remained unbeaten till the end and completed the chase with a boundary by Mehidy.
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| Bangladesh Innings | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liton Das | c Gurbaz b Naveen-ul-Haq | 9 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Soumya Sarkar | c Shahidi b Rashid Khan | 28 | 35 | 60 | 4 | 0 |
| Shakib Al Hasan (C) | c Shahidi b Rashid Khan | 24 | 29 | 40 | 3 | 0 |
| Mushfiqur Rahim | lbw b Mohammad Nabi | 12 | 18 | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| Mehidy Hasan Miraz | not out | 57 | 73 | 99 | 7 | 1 |
| Najmul Hossain Shanto | not out | 51 | 81 | 101 | 4 | 0 |
Extras (lb 1, w 6), TOTAL 34.4 Ov (RR: 4.56)
Player of the Match: Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Mehidy Hasan Miraz was adjudged the Player of the Match for his all-round performance. He took three crucial wickets in the first innings, including those of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and then scored an unbeaten half-century in the second innings to guide his team to victory. He also became the first Bangladesh player to score a fifty and take three wickets in a World Cup match.
What they said
Shakib Al Hasan: “It was a good start for us, we bowled really well and then chased it down comfortably. The pitch was a bit slow and we had to adjust our lengths accordingly. Mehidy and Najmul batted brilliantly, they showed great composure and maturity. We are happy with this win but we know we have to play better against tougher opponents.”
Hashmatullah Shahidi: “We are disappointed with our batting performance, we didn’t apply ourselves well and lost too many wickets in the middle overs. We knew it was not an easy pitch to bat on, but we should have scored at least 200-220. We tried our best with the ball, but it was not enough. We have to learn from our mistakes and come back stronger in the next matches.”
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