AFG vs BAN, 3rd T20I, Review: Bowlers, Saif combine to guide Bangladesh to series whitewash

Brief Scores

Afghanistan 143/9 in 20 overs (Darwish Rasooli 32, Sediqullah Atal 28; Mohammad Saifuddin 3/15, Nasum Ahmed 2/24) lost to Bangladesh 144/4 in 18 overs (Saif Hassan 64*, Tanzid Hasan Tamim 33; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/26, Azmatullah Omarzai 1/12) by six wickets.

Bangladesh sealed a dominant T20I series with a comprehensive six-wicket win over Afghanistan in the third and final game at Sharjah. The win was anchored by a collective bowling performance and a solid unbeaten half-century from Saif Hassan, as the visitors sealed a 3-0 series whitewash, only the fourth such instance in their T20I history.

Having already taken a 2-0 lead, Bangladesh entered the third T20I looking for a clean sweep. Opting to bat first after losing the toss, Afghanistan once again found themselves in early trouble. Shoriful Islam and Nasum Ahmed picked up three wickets in the power play.

Mohammad Saifuddin then dismissed Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, and Darwish Rasooli to finish with figures of 3 for 15. Despite a late fight from Rasooli (32) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (23*), Afghanistan could only post 143 for 9 in their 20 overs. A 34-run stand for the ninth wicket between Rasooli and Mujeeb gave them a respectable finish.

In reply, Bangladesh began well despite losing Parvez Hossain (14). Tanzid Hasan (33) and Saif Hassan stabilized the innings with a 55-run partnership. Saif, who has been in excellent form throughout the series, smashed a 38-ball 64*, including two fours and seven sixes.

Afghanistan briefly came back when Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked up two wickets in one over, including Shamim Hossain for a golden duck, and Rashid Khan bowled a maiden to apply pressure. But Saif bounced back well, smashing Bashir Ahmad and Abdollah Ahmadzai for sixes to bring up his fifty and close out the game. Nurul Hasan (10*) hit the winning runs with a six, ensuring Bangladesh wrapped up the chase with 12 balls to spare.

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