Asia Cup 2023

‘Nagin dance karwao inse ab’ – Fans react as Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 89 runs to stay alive in Asia Cup 2023

Mehidy Hasan won the Player of the Match award.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (Source: Twitter)

Bangladesh beat Afghanistan in the group stage of the Asia Cup 2023 clash to stay alive in the tournament. On a good batting surface in Lahore, Bangladeshi captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bat first. Bangladesh got a very good start for their innings. Mohammad Naim and Mehidy Hasan gave a brisk start to Bangladesh and smashed Afghanistan’s bowlers. 

Towhid Hridoy was dismissed for a golden duck, which invited Najmul Shanto to the middle. Along with Mehidy, Hridoy was involved in a fabulous 215-run partnership for the third wicket. Both the batters scored a hundred and helped Bangladesh to be in a dominating position in the match. It was the young Mehidy Hasan who impressed everyone with his batting skills. 

Mehidy scored his second ODI hundred after being promoted as an opener. The 25-year-old scored 112 runs in 119 balls, which included 7 fours and 3 sixes. At the other end, Hridoy scored 104 runs in 105 deliveries. Towards the end, the likes of Shakib and Rahim finished well for Bangladesh after a good platform was set by the duo of Mehidy and Hridoy. 

Afghanistan struggle in the big run chase

In their 50 overs, Bangladesh scored 334 runs. Chasing the target, Afghanistan hardly looked in contest. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for just one run. Rahmat Shah played a painfully slow knock of 33(57) and dented the chances of Afghanistan. As a result, Afghanistan almost stayed out of the game quickly. The dismissal of Shah was a blessing in disguise, which allowed Afghanistan to make a mini-comeback. 

Hashmatullah Shahidi joined Ibrahim Zadran and revived the innings of Afghanistan. Both the batters scored fifty. The wickets of the two batters meant that the fight in Afghanistan came to an end. In the dying moments of the match, Rashid Khan tried his best to play some shots. But the cameo of Khan came a bit too late for Afghanistan. It was not enough, as Bangladesh dismissed the chasing side for 245 runs and won the match by 89 runs.  

Here’s how the fans reacted to Bangladesh’s win –

https://twitter.com/SaifArman1999/status/1698388411487334566?s=20

https://twitter.com/HaseebarslanUK/status/1698388143748362672?s=20

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