(Cricket news) The Afghanistan tour of Bangladesh has seen the hosts thrive in the first two matches of the three match ODI series. The visitors need a victory in the final ODI which will be held on February 28th as the T20 matches also start in a couple of days.
Afghanistan has failed to score more than 220 runs in both matches as the batters have not been able to hijack the pitches. Najibullah Zadran has been the only batter from both teams to have scored 50 plus runs in both matches, he is the second highest run getter behind Liton Das who passed the 28 year old after a century in the second match. They changed the openers which Rahmat Shah gave a good start in the second match but it was enough for a competitive score.
The captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi stood for sometime in the first match but was sent back swiftly in the second one. In the first match, the batters did spend some time on the crease but could not score runs and in the second match they were bowled out by the 46th over. The Afghans have crossed the 250 mark four times from the start of the 2021 season till now and their score against Bangladesh is 258 which came 6 years back at Shere Bangla National Stadium. The team has what it takes to score a big one against the hosts and they need to do it in the final match even though Bangladesh is stronger.
Fazalhaq Farooqi has been the top bowler of the series so far, the left pacer has taken 5 wickets in two matches with an economy rate under 6. Having only played 3 ODI in his career, Farooqi took 4 wickets in the first match and has dismissed Tamim Iqbal in both the matches for a leg before. The 21 year old along with Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have bowled their full quota in both matches. Mujeeb has been successful in restricting the batters, he gave away 30 runs in the first while taking the key wicket of Shakib Al Hasan and in the second match gave away 49 runs. Rashid has also been keeping his economy rate under 6 but has been able to get as many wickets as possible.
In the first match, Bangladesh were about to lose as they lost 6 wickets for 45 runs in 12 overs. The team needed 171 runs with few wickets in hand but had time to do it, Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan put on 174 runs for the 7th wicket to bring back the team from the jaws of defeat. Experienced bowlers like Rashid, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb have not yet delivered their best for the team as the batters are nowhere near their potential. The team needs to settle in and finish the 50 over series with an inspiring performance.
Also read: Mayank Agarwal replaces Ruturaj Gaikwad as India prepare 2nd T20I vs Sri Lanka
