AFG vs BAN, 1st ODI, Review: Afghanistan return to winning ways after excellent all-round performance

Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai. (Photo Source: ACB/X)

Brief Scores

Bangladesh 221 in 48.5 overs (Mehidy Hasan Miraz 60, Towhid Hridoy 56; Rashid Khan 3/38, Azmatullah Omarzai 3/40) lost to Afghanistan 226/5 in 47.1 overs (Rahmat Shah 50, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 50; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 3/31, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 1/32) by five wickets.

After being whitewashed 0-3 in the T20I series, Afghanistan got back to winning ways, defeating Bangladesh by five wickets in the first ODI at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, October 8.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss and opted to bat first on a sluggish track. Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto departed inside the powerplay, with Azmatullah Omarzai picking up both wickets. Saif Hassan got himself set at the crease, but his 26-run knock was ended by Nangeyalia Kharote.

Mehidy and Towhid Hridoy joined forces when the score was 53/3 in the 12th over. They added a 101-run stand off 141 balls to give Bangladesh a great launching pad. Hridoy, who had shown a lot of grit and determination during his 56-run knock off 85 deliveries, was unfortunately run out by the combination of Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the 36th over.

Three overs later, Mehidy departed after scoring 60 off 87 balls. Rashid Khan took the wickets of Jaker Ali and Nurul Hasan, taking the momentum out of the Bangladesh innings. Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Tanvir Islam contributed with some important runs down the order before Bangladesh were dismissed for 221 in 48.5 overs.

In reply, Afghanistan got off to a solid start, with Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran adding 52 runs inside the first 10 overs. However, Zadran and Sediqullah Atal were dismissed in quick succession. Rahmat Shah joined forces with Gurbaz, and the duo forged a 78-run stand off 111 deliveries.

In the 31st over, Rahmat threw his wicket away after scoring 50 off 70 balls. Gurbaz was out to a brilliant delivery from Mehidy in the following over after scoring a 76-ball 50. At 136/4, Afghanistan had given Bangladesh hopes of a comeback.

However, Omarzai, after taking a bit of time to settle in, played some aggressive shots to bring his team closer to the target. When the all-rounder was dismissed for a 44-ball 40, Afghanistan needed just 27 runs to win. Shahidi and Mohammad Nabi took them over the line, with five wickets and 17 balls to spare. The Blue Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series with this resolute performance.

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