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Mehidy and Shanto focused on calculated cricket, content with collecting singles and twos. Surprisingly, Mehidy reached his half-century in just 58 balls. After Afghanistan dismissed Mehidy, breaking the 97-run partnership, Bangladesh needed only 33 runs to reach the target, allowing Shanto to also reach his half-century.
Bangladesh found themselves at 27 for 2. Tanzid Hasan was run out after a mix-up with Litton Das. Two overs later, Litton got an inside edge on his stumps against Farooqi.
Dharamsala, known for its stunning scenery, is among the most picturesque cricket venues globally, yet the sand-based outfield presented challenges. Fielders experienced difficulties with sliding, and dust clouds emerged as fast bowlers approached the crease. Fortunately, no injuries occurred for either team.
Shakib broke the 47-run stand when Ibrahim tried to sweep one from well outside off and ended up top-edging to deep square-leg. A few overs later, the Bangladesh captain had Rahmat, too, in a similar manner – the only difference being that this one was a catch near short extra cover.
At the other end, Gurbaz became the fastest Afghanistan player to reach 1000 ODI runs. He got there in 27 innings.
Mehidy, who had contributed to that collapse with a three-wicket haul of his own, then struck a half-century, albeit a chancy one, from No. 3.
Afghanistan got off to a solid start before Shakib changed the momentum with the wickets of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah. Afghanistan could never recover from there, slipping from 83 for 1 to 156 all out.
For Afghanistan, it was their 13th successive defeat at the World Cup, stretching back to 2015.
Bangladesh, led by Shakib Al Hasan’s three wickets and Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s all-round performance, started their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign with an emphatic six-wicket victory in Dharamsala, finishing the match with over 15 overs remaining.
Although this is a win, the team doesn’t look their best except for Shakib and a couple of others.
We have to wait and see if they can clock another win.
More from this ICC World Cup 2023
