Afghanistan triumph with a 3-0 series win against Bangladesh thanks to Rashid Khan…
The Afghanistan vs. Bangladesh series came to an end with Afghanistan winning the last T20I and completing an emphatic clean-sweep. Right-arm spinner Rashid Khan managed to hold his nerves and defend 9 runs in a thrilling last over. The spinner emerged as the player of the series, picking up 8 wickets at an average of 6.12 in the historic victory. Unsurprisingly, this is the same Rashid Khan who currently tops the ICC T20I bowler rankings – and rightly so.
In the last and final match of the series, the Afghani skipper won the toss and elected to bat first. The opening partnership of 55 runs between Mohammad Shahzad and Usman Ghani helped Afghanistan put up a defendable total of 145. In their chase, the visitors were off to a poor start as they lost 3 early wickets for only 35 runs in 6 overs. However, Mushfiqur Rahim’s 46 off 37 balls and Mahmudullah’s 45 off 38 balls helped Bangladesh recover – but courtesy of Rashid Khan, they still failed to cross the line. The bowling sensation conceded only 3 runs in the 18th over and successfully defended 9 runs in the last over.
Afghanistan 3-0 Bangladeshhttps://t.co/f0TBa26gDF #AFGvBAN
Photo: AP pic.twitter.com/PMzvYdWESB
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 8, 2018
Much to the dismay of Bangladeshi cricket fans, their team lost the T20I series being held in Dehradun. They lost the three matches by 45 runs, 6 wickets, and 1 run respectively. The side’s overall performance has come as a shock to the cricketing world as Bangladesh have been part of the international sphere for much longer than Afghanistan – and were clearly the more experienced of the two teams.
On the other hand, the Afghanistan cricket team outperformed their opponents in even single match. The hosts have taken the game by storm with their stellar performance, and could pose a threat to the region’s giants during the upcoming Asia Cup.
The ACC Asia Cup 2018 is scheduled to be held in United Arab Emirates in September of this year. The tournament will be featuring a total of six teams. Afghanistan has been placed in a group alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Pakistan, India, and the winner from the qualifying stages form the other group. All eyes will now be on Afghanistan as fans will anxiously be waiting to see if this new-found confidence can help the team pull off any upsets in the One Day International format as well.