AFG vs BAN, 1st T20I, Review: Emon, Tanzid fifties help Bangladesh take 1-0 lead

Brief scores:

Afghanistan 151/9 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 40, Mohammad Nabi 38; Rishad Hossain 2/33) lost to Bangladesh 153/6 in 18.4 overs (Parvez Hossain Emon 54, Tanzid Hasan Tamim 51; Rashid Khan 4/18) by 4 wickets.

Bangladesh held their nerve in the final moments to clinch a four-wicket win over Afghanistan in the first T20I at Sharjah on Thursday. Half-centuries from Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan played a big role, while Nurul Hasan and Rishad Hossain’s partnership sealed the chase, giving Bangladesh a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Opting to bat first, Afghanistan started well but kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Ibrahim Zadran hit three boundaries but was dismissed by Nasum Ahmed in the third over. Soon after, Sediqullah Atal and Darwish Rasooli perished, as Afghanistan’s scorecard read 33/3 by the end of the powerplay.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz looked solid with his 40 off 31 balls, but his dismissal in the 15th over triggered another collapse. Mohammad Nabi, once again, played a late cameo with 38 off 25 balls, hitting four sixes. His hitting, along with Sharafuddin Ashraf’s cameo of 17* off 12, pushed Afghanistan to 151/9. For Bangladesh, Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Rishad Hossain claimed two wickets each, while Mustafizur Rahman and Nasum Ahmed controlled the middle overs.

Chasing 152, Bangladesh openers Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan put on a clinical opening partnership. The pair, after starting slow, opened up in the fifth over, with Emon smashing Mohammad Nabi for two sixes. Despite two dropped chances in that over, Emon went all out.

By the halfway stage, Bangladesh were at 95/0, with both openers looking to take the game away. Emon reached his half-century in 35 balls, while Tanzid matched him with a 34-ball fifty. Their partnership of 109 runs became Bangladesh’s highest opening stand against Afghanistan in T20Is.

Rashid Khan’s heroics go in vain

But the Bengal Tigers faced a collapse when Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan entered the attack. He dismissed Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hasan in the same over, then struck twice again to remove Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain. Noor Ahmad then trapped Tanzim Sakib lbw, giving Afghanistan a chance to pull off a win.

Rashid finished with figures of 4/18 from his four overs. Just when Afghanistan was on top, Bangladesh’s lower order came to the rescue. Nurul Hasan hit an unbeaten 23 off 13 balls, including two sixes in the 19th over, while Rishad Hossain supported with 14* off 9, hitting the winning boundary. Their unbroken 35-run stand guided Bangladesh to victory with eight balls to spare.