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Shoriful the Hero Again, Bangladesh Beats Afghanistan to Win the Series

97 Repoter: Mohammed Afzal

Publish: 1 week agoUpdate: 1 second ago
Shoriful the Hero Again, Bangladesh Beats Afghanistan to Win the Series

Shoriful the Hero Again, Bangladesh Beats Afghanistan to Win the Series

Shoriful the Hero Again, Bangladesh Beats Afghanistan to Win the Series

Tight bowling at the start, calm finishing with the bat at the end—such performances are rare in T20 cricket. Shoriful Islam was an exception. In a crucial T20I series where only one match remained, his role became the defining factor in Bangladesh’s series victory.

On Friday, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, chasing Afghanistan’s target of 148, Bangladesh’s start was disappointing. However, with partnerships between Shamim Hossain and captain Jaker Ali in the middle overs, Bangladesh got back into the game. The final touches came from Nurul Hasan and Shoriful. What had once seemed like an uncertain match ended with Bangladesh winning by 2 wickets with 5 balls to spare.

With this win, Bangladesh took a 2–0 lead in the series. Heading into the final match, they will aim to secure a whitewash.

Chasing 148, Bangladesh’s start was far from ideal. Taniz Hasan was caught at mid-on in the second over. Another opener, Parvez, was given LBW on the first ball of the fourth over. Saif Hassan followed in the next over. At 24 for 3, Bangladesh found themselves on the back foot.

Captain Jaker and Shamim Hossain steadied the innings with a 56-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Shamim scored 33 off 22 balls, while Jaker contributed 32 off 25. This partnership shifted the momentum toward Bangladesh.

However, after their dismissal, pressure mounted again. Jaker fell, followed by Shamim. Nasum (10), Saifuddin (4), and Rishad (11) also fell quickly. At 102 for 5, Bangladesh faced a tense situation, losing two more wickets in the 18th over.

In the final two overs, Bangladesh needed 17 runs with only 2 wickets in hand. Nurul Hasan hit a six, while Shoriful contributed 2, 4, and 1 runs, reaching the target by the 19th over. In the final over, only 2 runs were needed, and Shoriful finished the match with a four through long-on. He remained unbeaten on 11 off 6 balls, delivering the finishing touch. Nurul Hasan remained unbeaten on 33 from 21 balls, hitting 3 sixes and 1 four.

Batting first after losing the toss, Afghanistan had a slow but steady start, scoring 35 runs in the first six overs without losing a wicket. However, after the seventh over, wickets began to fall. Sediqullah Atal was dismissed by Rishad, Ibrahim Zadran was bowled by Nasum, and after Tarakhil and Rashid fell, Afghanistan lost four wickets inside 90 runs.

Shoriful had provided the initial blow with the ball as well. In four overs, he conceded just 13 runs and took a wicket. During the powerplay, he didn’t allow any boundaries. In the middle overs, he bowled Gurbaz with a brilliant yorker, keeping Afghanistan under pressure.

Towards the end, Gurbaz and Nabi increased the scoring rate. Gurbaz scored 30 off 22 balls. With contributions from Azmatullah and Nabi, Afghanistan managed some extra runs, finishing at 147 for 5 in their 20 overs. Other than a four off the final ball, there were no major big shots throughout the innings.

Rishad Hossain gave away 45 runs in 4 overs but picked up two crucial wickets at important moments. Nasum also claimed two wickets. Like Rishad, Mustafizur was a bit expensive, conceding 40 runs in 4 overs, but unlike Rishad, he couldn’t take a wicket.

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