Bangladesh rout Afghanistan by six wickets in third T20 to sweep series

Saif Hassan smacked a whirlwind fifty after Mohammad Saifuddin took a three-wicket haul as Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by six wickets in the third and the final T20I match to complete the whitewash at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

After restricting a struggling Afghanistan to 141/9, Bangladesh chased down the target with two overs to spare.

In reply, Bangladesh lost the first wicket for 24 runs but Tanzid and Saif shared a 56-run partnership for the second wicket to set the tone for a successful chase.

Saif added another 40 runs with captain Jaker Ali for the third wicket to take the match deeper before a double strike by Mujeeb once again ignited a brief optimism in the Afghanistan camp.

Mujeeb got rid of Jaker and Shamim on the successive deliveries to bring Afghanistan back into the game. The twin strike put Bangladesh under pressure who went into the defensive mode.

Bangladesh had lost six wickets within nine runs in the first match to put themselves into a precarious situation after a century stand for the first wicket.

To avoid a déjà vu, they slowed down for a while before Saif hit Bashir for two consecutive sixes to remove the pressure and put an end to Afghanistan’s hopes of a come-from-behind victory.

He brought up his fourth fifty of the T20I with the second six in just 32 balls. He remained unbeaten on 64, which featured seven sixes and two fours.

Earlier, Afghanistan’s batting woes continued as they faltered once again after getting off to a decent start. Bangladesh pacers Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mohmmad Saifuddin produced brilliant spells in the middle of the innings to keep Afghanistan in check by taking wickets at regular intervals.

It was pace spearhead Shoriful Islam who ignited the rot by sending back Ibrahim Zadran in the third over. Zadran tried to slog a delivery which was way outside the off stump. He miscued the shot and could manage to get the top edge only and Nurul scooped it safely.

Zadran’s slump in form is a major concern as he is one of their best batsmen. His last six scores are - 1,5,24,15,38 and 7. Six balls later, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was foxed by the wily spinner Nasum. He invited Gurbaz with a loose delivery as the Afghanistan opener made room for himself and hit it flat but Shamim dived to his left with a full outstretched arm to take a spectacular catch.

Saifuddin uprooted the stumps of Wafiullah Tarakhil to make it 39/3. Afghanistan needed a good partnership to bring the innings back on track.

Sediqullah Atal and Azamtullah Omarzai knuckled down to repair the damage. They added 24 runs for the fourth wicket in a bid to stop the rot.

But every time the Afghanistan batsmen tried to take a step forward they were pushed back by the two. Saifuddin broke the dangerous-looking partnership to give Bangladesh an important breakthrough. He had Atal caught by Tanzim before Rishad removed dangerous Omarzai. Nassum rattled the stumps of veteran bowler Mohammad Nabi as Afghanistan lost three wickets in quick succession to be reduced to 82/6 from 72/3.

Three wickets within a span of ten runs pushed Afghanistan on the backfoot completely. They were looking set to be dismissed under 100.

Afghanistan had seven more overs to go but only four wickets were left. The batsmen on the crease had the responsibility of playing a full quota of overs as well as increasing the run rate to give their bowler a good total to defend.

To heap more misery on the reeling Afghans, Tanzim struck again to get rid of captain Rashid Khan. The Afghanistan captain tried to pull a short ball but managed a thick edge only as Nasum took a clean catch at the third man. Afghanistan were 98/7.

Afghanistan desperately needed a partnership but none of their batsmen could convert their start into a big score. Rasooli was waging the lone battle single-handedly. Tanzim picked his second scalp of the match on the next delivery. He dismissed Abdollah Ahmadzai for a golden duck as Bangladesh looked in a hurry to wrap up the innings.

Bangladesh bowlers became complacent as they spurned a chance to skittle out Afghanistan for a paltry total. Rasooli and Mujeeb ur Rehman refused to give up. They combined to undo the damage as they shared a vital 34-run partnership for the ninth wicket.