What a fascinating cricketing battle is going on at this point in time in Sharjah! Bangladeshi pace bowling has dominated throughout the game, with Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman bossing the entire innings with terrific speed, swing, and variation.
Gurbaz, the dominating cricketing legend, was dismissed cheaply by a dynamite delivery from Taskin Ahmed, with experienced wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim taking a screamer behind the stumps. The promising youngster, Sediqullah Atal, who was looking rock solid, was flummoxed by a Mustafizur Rahman cutter, scoring 21 runs off 30 balls. Highly experienced Rahamat Shah, trying to get back into the swing of things, faced 13 balls and scored only 2 runs before being trapped by a Mustafizur Rahman blinder.
Gulbadin Naib, promising to come out all guns blazing, suddenly saw things go wrong, getting struck by a Taskin Ahmed delivery and scoring 22 runs off 32 balls.
After losing their first five wickets within 71 runs, Shahidi and Mohammad Nabi put together a solid partnership of 104 runs, helping Afghanistan reach 235 runs. Earlier, Afghanistan, winning the toss, decided to bowl first to take advantage of the powerplay and score quickly. Shoriful Islam bowled economically, conceding 3.50 runs per over in his 9.4 overs and picking up the wicket of Rashid Khan. Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman were the stars of the bowling attack, picking up 4 wickets each and impressing Bangladeshi fans.
