Bangladesh have a year left before the ODI World Cup, and the tri-nation series in the UAE has shown where the work lies: in two matches, their batters did not reach 200 either time.
Against Afghanistan on Wednesday, the top four were gone inside seven overs and eight of the 11 batters failed to reach double figures.
The 160 all out ended Bangladesh's hopes of reaching the final and gave Afghanistan their fifth consecutive ODI win over them.
Afghanistan chased the target with seven wickets and 87 balls to spare. They will meet Zimbabwe, who beat Bangladesh in the series opener, in the final in Sharjah.
Bangladesh needed to win by at least 41 runs to qualify after stand-in captain Towhid Hridoy won the toss and chose to bat. That meant keeping Afghanistan to 119, a mark they passed in the 27th over.
The innings was in trouble inside two overs. Tanzid Hasan edged Yamin Ahmadzai to wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Soumya Sarkar played on next ball, trying to cut a delivery just outside off stump. Najmul Hossain Shanto made 15 before he too was caught behind, and Hridoy was caught and bowled by Azmatullah Omarzai for a duck.
Parvez Hossain, called into the squad as Liton Das's replacement, and Saif Hassan took Bangladesh from 28 for four to 121. Saif, who scored at under a run every two balls throughout, was caught at midwicket charging Mohammad Nabi for 41 off 82 balls.
Parvez went on to make 70 off 96 balls, his second ODI fifty. Mehedi Hasan Miraz was dropped off a pull and caught two balls later playing the same shot, out for two.
Rashid Khan took four for 31 as Bangladesh lost their last six wickets for 39 runs. Soumya, Hridoy, debutant Aliss Al Islam and Mustafizur Rahman were all out for ducks.
Taskin Ahmed bowled Gurbaz and Sediqullah Atal inside the powerplay, but Afghanistan had already made 26 from the first 16 balls, 10 of them extras. Rahmat Shah's unbeaten 67 took them home in the 36th over.
The World Cup will be held in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe next October.
