The Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has once again come to his team’s rescue and produced a brilliant final over to help Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by one run in the nail-biting third and final T20 International, as the hosts registered a 3-0 series whitewash.
Afghanistan scored 145 for six after winning the toss in the first innings and the target was defended riding on Rashid’s brilliance.
Bangladesh was looking good to register a morale win after the veterans Mushfiqur Rahim (46 off 37) and Mahmudullah (45 not out off 38) stitched 84 runs for the fifth wicket.
In fact, after Karim Janat conceding 21 runs in the penultimate over, Bangladesh were the firm favourites to win the game, Rashid single-handedly turned the game upside down by defending nine runs off the final over.
With Bangladesh needing 30 runs off the last two overs, Mushfiqur struck Janat for five consecutive boundaries to bring down the equation to nine off the last over.
But then Afghan skipper Asghar Stanikzai went to his trump card Rashid, who responded brilliantly by removing Mushfiqur on his first delivery and then did enough with his guile to snatch the narrow one-run win for his side.
Besides Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah, other Bangladesh batsmen couldn’t make any substantial contribution.
Even though he didn’t take too many wickets, Rashid (1/24) eventually turned out to be the difference between the two teams.
Electing to bat, Mohammad Shahzad (26) and Usman Ghani (19) gave a steady start, sharing 55 runs off 46 balls for the opening stand before Bangladeshi bowlers took back-to-back wickets in consecutive overs to put brakes on their opponents.
Shahzad, who hit three fours and one six, was the first dismissal for Afghanistan depart caught plumb in front of the wicket by left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam in the eighth over.
Ghani followed suit in the next over, edging one to Mushfiqur behind the stumps off right-arm pacer Abu Jayed’s bowling as the Afghans slumped to 59 for two in 8.5 overs.
Skipper Stanikzai played a little cameo scoring 27 off 17 balls with the help of three sixes before getting out in the 13th over.
Samiullah Shenwari remained unbeaten 33 off 28 balls while Najibullah Zadran made 15 in the slog overs to take Afghanistan close to the 150-run mark.
Islam (2/18) Jayed (2/27) was the only successful bowlers for Bangladesh in the dead-rubber.
Prior to Thursday’s match, Afghanistan has already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, having won the first two matches by 45 runs and six wickets respectively.
