Ghazanfar stars as Afghanistan crush Bangladesh

KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghanistan hammered Bangladesh by 92 runs in the opener of their three-match ODI series, going one up, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Afghanistan, after winning the toss, chose to bat and were dismissed for 235 runs.

The visitors were off to a rocky start, slumping to 35/4 and then further collapsing to 71/5 after 20 overs, said the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

Mohammad Nabi, coming in at No. 7, played a pivotal role in stabilising Afghanistan’s wobbly innings.

He forged a 104-run partnership with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi for the sixth wicket. Shahidi top-scored with a solid 52 before being dismissed.

In reply, Bangladesh began the chase steadily, reaching 100 runs in the first 20 overs. At the halfway mark, they were well-placed at 120/2.

However, the game took a dramatic turn as they lost their last eight wickets for just 23 runs in nine overs, ultimately being bowled out for 143 runs -- 92 short of the target.

Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar was the star of Afghanistan’s bowling attack, producing a career-best performance of 6/26 and earning the Player of the Match award.

Rashid Khan claimed two wickets, while Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi each took one wicket to help Afghanistan seal an emphatic victory and take an early lead in the series.

sa/mud