Bangladesh etch landmarks against Afghanistan to keep Asia Cup hopes alive

SCORECARD

In a must-win game for Bangladesh, the Tigers turned up with the bat and ball to register a comfortable 89-run win over Afghanistan in Lahore that sealed their place in the Super 4s stage.

The fate of Group B now rests on the result of the final game between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan to be played on 5 September, with Afghanistan requiring a commanding victory to progress.

Bangladesh posted a mammoth 334/5 on the back of centuries from Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto.

In reply, Afghanistan's chase never really took off with Shoriful Islam striking early to remove the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Ibrahim Zadran (75), Rahmat Shah (33) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (51) all made vital contributions but some tight bowling from Bangladesh meant the required run rate kept climbing.

Despite having seven wickets in hand with 15 overs to go, Afghanistan attempted to make an effort to chase the total down with the required run rate greater than 10.

The scoreboard pressure eventually resulted in wickets as Afghanistan succumbed to an 89-run defeat. The pacers made their mark for Bangladesh with Taskin Ahmed (4/44), Shoriful Islam (3/35) and Hasan Mahmud (1/61) picking eight wickets between them.

Earlier in the day, Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bat first at Lahore.

Bangladesh sent all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz to open the batting along with Mohammed Naim. The decision bore good results as the duo gave Bangladesh a stable start.

The loss of Naim and Towhid Hridoy in back-to-back overs jolted the Tigers right at the end of the first Powerplay. However, Mehidy and Najmul Hossain Shanto came together to rebuild the innings with their 194-run stand laying a strong foundation for a big finish.

They recorded the highest partnership for Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. Their previous best was a 160-run stand between Imrul Kayes and Junaid Siddique against Pakistan in 2010.

Both the batters hit their second ODI hundreds in this innings. Mehidy eventually retired hurt for 112* while Shanto fell for a well-made 104 soon after.

Bangladesh, however, kept their foot on the pedal and reached 334/5 at the back of some aggressive cameos from Mushfiqur Rahim (25 from 15) and Shakib Al Hasan (32 from 18).

This is their third-highest total in ODI cricket and their highest against an Asian team.