Bangladesh overcame a late scare from Rashid Khan to secure a four-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the opening T20I of the three-match series in Sharjah on Thursday night. Rashid produced a stunning spell of four wickets to turn the game on its head, but Nurul Hasan and Rishad Hossain held their nerve to guide Bangladesh home with eight balls to spare.
Chasing 152, Bangladesh made a steady but cautious start, managing only 14 runs from the first three overs before openers Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Parvez Hossain Emon shifted gears. Parvez struck two sixes off Mohammad Nabi in one over, surviving two chances as Bangladesh reached 50 during the powerplay.
After the field restrictions, Tanzid took charge, clearing the ropes off Nabi and Noor Ahmad, while both openers continued their aggressive approach. By the halfway stage, Bangladesh were cruising at 95 without loss, and the pair completed their half-centuries while building a century partnership. Fareed Ahmad finally gave Afghanistan a breakthrough, and Rashid quickly capitalised.
The leg-spinner dismissed Saif Hassan and Tanzid in the same over, before returning to claim two more wickets in his final spell. Noor Ahmad then struck as well, sparking a dramatic collapse that saw Bangladesh slip from 109 for no loss to 118 for six. At that stage, Afghanistan looked poised for an unlikely comeback.
However, Nurul and Rishad steadied the innings with crucial boundaries, leaving Bangladesh needing 16 from the last two overs. Nurul then sealed the contest in style with consecutive sixes, ensuring Bangladesh took a 1-0 lead in the series.
Earlier, Afghanistan had struggled for momentum despite Ibrahim Zadran’s brisk start. They lost three wickets inside the powerplay, including Darwish Rasooli’s run out, and were restricted to 33 for three. Rahmanullah Gurbaz looked promising with 40, but wickets fell regularly, and his dismissal in the 15th over left Afghanistan under pressure.
Mohammad Nabi provided late resistance, hitting three sixes in the 18th over, while Sharafuddin Ashraf added a quick cameo to help Afghanistan reach 151 for nine, which nearly proved sufficient as Bangladesh faltered midway through their chase.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 151/9 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 40, Mohammad Nabi 38; Rishad Hossain 2/33) lost to Bangladesh 153/6 in 18.4 overs (Parvez Hossain Emon 54, Tanzid Hasan Tamim 51; Rashid Khan 4/18) by 4 wickets
