Bangladesh stayed alive in the Asia Cup with a nerve-jangling eight-run win over Afghanistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night.
Defending 154 on a sluggish pitch, the Tigers bowled out Afghanistan for 146 in the final over. The victory means Bangladesh’s Super Four hopes now rest on the Afghanistan–Sri Lanka clash scheduled for September 18.
Tanzid Hasan Tamim’s blistering 52 off 31 balls gave Bangladesh a platform, before the bowlers held their nerve under pressure.
Nasum Ahmed lit up the second innings with a dream start, trapping Hazratullah Atal LBW for a golden duck off the very first ball and completing a wicket-maiden. Afghanistan never quite recovered, managing only 27 runs in the powerplay while losing two wickets.
Rishad Hossain redeemed himself after an early dropped catch by dismissing Gulbadin Naib, before returning after drinks to remove a well-set Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who top-scored with 35 off 31.
Wickets kept tumbling and the required run rate crept above 10, but Azmatullah Omarzai briefly revived Afghan hopes with a flurry of big shots, smashing 30 from just 16 balls, including two sixes in a 20-run over. His dismissal to Taskin Ahmed’s clever slower ball proved decisive, and Bangladesh tightened their grip in the closing stages.
Nurul Hasan’s sharp run-out of Karim Janat and Mustafizur Rahman’s dismissal of Rashid Khan with a wide slower yorker sealed the result.
Bangladesh’s bowlers shared the spoils: Mustafizur (3-28) struck at the death, Nasum (2-11) stifled Afghanistan early, while Taskin (2-34) and Rishad (2-18) provided crucial breakthroughs.
Afghanistan ultimately fell short by eight runs, marking their 12th unsuccessful chase of a 140-plus target against a full-member Test side in T20Is.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s innings had been set up by Tanzid’s sparkling half-century. Liton Das, opting to bat first after winning the toss, saw his young opener blast four boundaries and three sixes to put the Tigers in command during a 60-run powerplay.
Saif Hasan chipped in with 30 off 28 balls as the pair lifted Bangladesh to 87-1 after 10 overs.
Afghanistan’s spinners fought back strongly, with Noor Ahmad removing Liton (9) and Tanzid in quick succession to finish with 2-23, while Rashid Khan claimed 2-26.
Bangladesh’s momentum slowed, adding only 67 runs in the final 10 overs, and finishing on 154-5. But the total proved just enough as Bangladesh’s bowlers and fielders kept their composure in a tense finish.
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Saif Hassan, Litton Das (capt & wk), Towhid Hridoy, Nurul Hasan, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed
Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (capt), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi
