Bangladesh 154-5 (Tanzid 52, Saif 30; Noor 2-23, Rashid 2-26) v Afghanistan
Men’s T20 Asia Cup, Abu Dhabi
Bangladesh looked well placed at 63 without loss after six overs, yet finished on a modest 154 for five thanks to a familiar Afghan squeeze from Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan. The left-arm wrist-spinner and his captain shared four wickets for 49 in eight overs, shutting the door just when Tanzid Hasan’s fourth-gear start hinted at something far larger.
“Bangladesh should have stuck to their previous XI,” said Wasim Jaffer during television commentary, questioning the visitors’ four changes. One of those alterations, opener Tanzid, struck a 28-ball fifty—his seventh in T20Is—peppering the Powerplay with clean drives and two attractive pick-ups over mid-wicket. At 87 for one halfway through, Bangladesh still held the cards.
Rashid’s introduction changed the mood. “The plan was simple: hit the good length, vary the pace,” he told the host broadcaster, adding that the surface “offered just enough grip to keep us interested.” Noor, operating from the pavilion end, matched him for control, removing both well-set batters and allowing only one boundary in his final two overs.
Saif Hassan, playing his first match of the tournament, managed 30 off 28 but never quite escaped the choke. From overs 11 to 18 Bangladesh lost four for 65, and the death overs produced a mere 30 runs as seamers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai nailed their yorkers.
“We started brilliantly but lost momentum against quality spin,” admitted Bangladesh batting coach Michael Bevan. “A par score here is closer to 170, so we’ll need early wickets to stay in it.”
Afghanistan will fancy chasing 155, yet dew could still complicate matters. Either way, the tone of this match was set by two spinners who have made closing down innings look routine.
