Bangladesh are nothing short of sensational in the ongoing three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. Excellent performances in the first two matches mean Bangladesh have already sealed the series with a 2-0 margin and will look to register a series whitewash in the next game. The third and last ODI is to be played on Monday at the Zahoor Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
Tamim Iqbal & Co won the 2nd ODI by a huge margin of 88 runs. Batting first, Bangladesh posted a massive total of 304 runs on the board. Captain Tamim Iqbal (12) and Shakib Al Hasan (20) were dismissed early. However, Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim produced the goods and took the team to a great position in the game.
The duo put on a defining partnership of 202 runs for the third wicket. Afghanistan could not take a single wicket in the first innings from the 16th to the 47th over. Liton Das was successful in scoring his fifth century in his ODI career. He played a match winning innings of 136 runs in 126 balls. On the other hand, Mushfiqur Rahim scored 86 runs in 93 balls, which included 9 fours.
Afghanistan's premier spinner Rashid Khan failed to break that partnership. He managed to take the wicket of Shakib Al Hasan but it was the only wicket he took during that game. He came back with 1 wicket for 54 runs in 10 overs. Apart from this, Mujeeb ur Rahman (0 for 49) and M Nabi (0 for 26) also came back with the ball.
Chasing that score, Afghanistan had the worst start. Riyaz Hossain (1 for 2), Hashmatullah Shahidi (5 off 3), and Azmatullah Omerzai (9 off 3) were dismissed cheaply as Afghanistan lost the first three wickets in the first 10 overs with just 34 runs . However, Rahmat Shah stood firm and spent some time at the crease. He joined hands with Najibullah Zadran and recreated the innings.
The duo shared an 89-run stand for the fourth wicket and gave some hope to the visitors. However, both got out with their respective half-centuries. Rahmat Shah scored 52 runs in 71 balls, while Najibullah Zadran scored 54 runs in 61 balls. Once both were dismissed, Afghanistan quickly lost wickets and were eventually bundled out for 218 in the second innings.
For Bangladesh's bowling, it was a combined bowling effort that helped them tie Afghanistan on aggregate. Shakib Al Hasan (2 for 38) and Taskin Ahmed (2 for 31) performed brilliantly in the bowling department. All other bowlers took a wicket each.