Bangladesh staged a tremendous comeback to register a thumping 89 runs in their final league match against Afghanistan at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on 3rd September 2023. It was an all-round effort by the Bangladesh team as they posted a massive total and then skittled them out for 245. Meanwhile, Najmul Hasan Shanto’s century celebration grabbed the eyeballs.
Bangladesh captain Shakib AL Hasan won the toss and decided to bat first. Mohammad Naim came to open with Mehidy Hasan Miraz showing intent right from the word go. Naim and Miraz showed intent by hitting boundaries keeping the scoreboard ticking. Mujeeb Ur Rahman got the breakthrough dismissing Naim with a beautiful delivery. Naim and Miraz added 60 runs for the opening wicket.
Hridoy came to bat at number 3 but was dismissed for 1 run with a superb catch by lovely catch by Ibrahim Zadran at first slips. Shanto looked in fine touch putting pressure on the Afg bowlers with singles and hitting boundaries at will with Miraz. Shanto completed fifty off 57 deliveries while Miraz reached a half-century from 65 balls. Both continued to milk the scoreboard rotating the strike and not allowing them to settle. Miraz completed his 2nd ODI century off 115 deliveries. He retired hurt due to cramps in his hands.
Shakib AL Hasan came to the crease and showed intent with some lovely shots. Shanto reached a century off 101 balls. He was eventually run out while trying to take a run and slipped. It was a superb batting performance by Bangladesh batters as they posted a mammoth total of 334 for 5.
Chasing 335 runs to win, Afghanistan got off to the worst possible start as Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell cheaply. Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah looked solid as they scored 37 at the end of the first 10 overs. Zadran and Shah kept the momentum going before Taskin Ahmed got rid of Shah with a lovely delivery. Zadran and Shah added 78 runs for the 2nd wicket.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi looked in decent touch along with Zadran. Ibrahim completed fifty off 52 deliveries before Rahim took a stunning catch to dismiss him. Ibrahim Zadran and Shahidi added 52 runs for the 3rd wicket. After the fall of Najibullah Zadran’s wicket, Afghanistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 245 in 44.3 overs.
With this win, Bangladesh almost qualified for the Super 4 stage as their net run rate has moved to 0.373. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was named as player of the match for his unbeaten 112 and 1 for 41. Afghanistan needs to beat Sri Lanka by a big margin to qualify for the next stage.
Najmul Hasan Shanto dedicated a century to his son
Najmul Hossain Shanto does rock a baby celebration
After 100 Against Afghanistan#Shanto #BANvsAFG #AFGvsBAN #AsiaCup2023 #AsiaCup23Credit : (Disney+hotstar) pic.twitter.com/cl5alXsMKT
— Sportsupdates (@Sportsu94121441) September 3, 2023
The left-handed batter Najmul Hasan Shanto dedicated his 104 to his newborn son. It was a remarkable performance by Shanto coming at number 3 and scoring at a quick pace. He scored 104 off 105 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes with a strike rate of 99.04. He and Miraz put on 194 runs for the 3rd wicket.
“This hundred I dedicate it to my son. We weren’t worried about the two wickets, we played according to the situation and the merit of the ball. It’s (BPL) a good tournament, it’s a challenging tournament, and that helped me a lot. It helps us to play international cricket as many foreign players are a part of it,” said Shanto.
Najmul Hasan Shanto is currently the leading runs scorer so far. He scored well complied 89 runs well in the first match against Sri Lanka at Kandy where Bangladesh made 164.
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