It was Bangladesh captain Najmul Shanto leading from the front in the crucial second ODI against Afghanistan as he helped the visitors tie up the three-match ODI series, leaving it all to play for in the series decider.
Ahead of the third ODI, here are our match preview and predictions.
Also read: Afghanistan Cricket Board Sponsors 2024 | Bangladesh Cricket Board Sponsors 2024
Bangladesh had opted to bat first in the second game, and while AM Ghazanfar gave Afghanistan the early breakthrough, a 124-run partnership for the second wicket between Soumya Sarkar and Shanto laid the foundation for the visitors. The Afghani spinners did trigger a mini-collapse in the middle, though, before some late runs from Jaker Ali and Nasum Ahmed got Bangladesh across 250.
With the ball, the Bangladeshi spinners were lethal as Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Ahmed got five scalps between themselves to knock out Afghanistan for 184, with Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed using their experience in the middle as well.
For Afghanistan, barring their two spinners, Rashid Khan and Nangeyalia Kharote, only Ghazanfar chipped in with wickets, while the likes of Fazalhaq Farooqi and part-timer Azmatullah Omarzai leaked runs. For the series decider, Hasmatullah Shahidi will expect his bowlers to be more tidy.
With the bat, Rahmat Shah and Sediqullah Atal got some runs last time out, with Shah getting a well-made fifty, but barring those two, no one else could get going against the Bangla spin as they collapsed to 184, having been 119-2 at one point. The experienced Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, and Khan will need to shoulder more responsibility in the series finale.
The third and final ODI will also take place in Sharjah, which will favour the slow bowlers, especially the spinners, and while Afghanistan might have gone down easily in the second game, count on Shahidi’s boys to bounce back and take the series.
Fantasy XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Soumya Sarkar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Nabi, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, Mustafizur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar
Venue: Sharjah
Winners Prediction: Afghanistan
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