Afg vs Ban highlights: The World Cup opener match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh took place on October 7th at HPCA Stadium. Mehidy and Shanto played pivotal roles in securing an effortless victory for their team.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz played a starring role with both bat and ball as Bangladesh kicked off their World Cup campaign with a commanding six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday.
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The off-spinner took 3-25 as Afghanistan’s innings crushed, with them being bowled out for just 156.
Mehidy then contributed 57 runs to the chase, benefiting from being dropped twice. Meanwhile, Nojmul Hossain Shanto, also 25 years old, anchored the innings with an unbeaten 59 as Bangladesh secured the win with more than 15 overs to spare.
In this match, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan further added to Afghanistan’s woes, taking 3-30 with his left-arm spin, and his bowling changes resulted in crucial wickets.
Despite Afghanistan’s promising positions at 47-1 and 112-2 after being asked to bat by Shakib, they lost their last eight wickets for just 44 runs.
Man of the match Mehidy expressed his delight during the presentation ceremony, saying,
“It’s a great moment for me.”
He mentioned that he initially approached his bowling with caution but credited Captain Shakib for guiding him to bowl in the right areas and maintain consistency, which boosted his confidence.
Regarding his batting performance, Mehidy mentioned,
“I always play at number eight, so it was a great opportunity to bat in the top order. It’s a great moment for me to perform.”
Shakib, on the other hand, expressed his satisfaction, saying,
“I am happy to contribute with my bowling. All our five bowlers chipped in and made contributions. Mehidy and Shanto, these are our in-form players — they are always confident and eager to perform well for the team.”
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi left to lament his team’s collapse.
Shahidi commented on their performance, saying,
“We had a good start, but after the fall of the first wicket, we made some bad shot selections. Their bowlers maintained a tight line. I believe we fought well in the field, but our final score wasn’t sufficient.”
Bangladesh won the previous World Cup by 62 runs, with Shakib playing a crucial role.
Gurbaz scored 145 runs before being caught but lacked support from his team. Mujeeb Ur Rahman came to bat without protective gear, showing Afghanistan’s struggles.
Bangladesh encountered early setbacks in its chase. Tanzid Hasan and Liton Das were both dismissed early.
Afghanistan missed a crucial chance when Najibullah dropped Mehidy at 12 runs. The catch was a routine one at backward point, but it was put down.
Mehidy got lucky on the 23rd run. It was a chance he could have held with both hands.
Mehidy capitalized on these missed chances, completing a fifty in 58 balls, which included four fours. Later, he survived a close lbw appeal from Mujeeb following a lengthy review. Caught by Rahmat Shah at mid-off, ending a 97-run partnership for the third wicket.
However, by that point, Bangladesh was within reach of victory.
Najmul scored a fifty in 80 balls and hit a six off Mujeeb. He sealed the match with consecutive fours, with the second one resulting from a fielding error at mid-off. This continued his impressive performance in 2023, where he boasts an ODI cricket average of nearly 55.
Here are the Afg vs Ban highlights of World Cup 2023. Bangladesh will their next game against England on 10th Oct.
Last, Afghanistan to play against host nation India on 11th Oct.