ICC World Cup 2023: Clinical Bangladesh ease past Afghanistan

Bangladesh secured a convincing six-wicket victory over Afghanistan on Saturday in the third match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in Dharamshala.

The Tigers successfully chased down the target in 34.4 overs after limiting the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side to a total of 156.

Najmul Hossain Shanto remained unbeaten on 59 while Mehidy Hasan hit 57. The duo dominated the chase with 97-run stand for the third wicket.

Earlier, Bangladesh’s captain, Shakib Al Hasan, once again proved to be a thorn in Afghanistan’s side at the World Cup.

Despite Afghanistan making a decent start at 47-1 and 112-2 after being put into bat, they suffered a dramatic batting collapse, losing their last eight wickets for just 44 runs. This led to their dismissal for a mere 156 runs, with more than 11 overs to spare.

Left-arm spinner Shakib, who had previously taken 5-29 in a corresponding World Cup fixture four years ago, claimed the crucial opening two wickets and finished with figures of 3-30 in eight overs.

As the captain, Shakib also demonstrated his skill in managing the bowling attack, which produced crucial wickets.

Another spinner, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, contributed significantly with the ball, taking 3-25 from his nine overs, as several Afghanistan batters succumbed to poor shot selection.

The only notable resistance came from opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored 47 runs. However, frustrated by the lack of support from his teammates, he eventually holed out off paceman Mustafizur Rahman to Tanzid Hasan in the covers.