Tanzid, Emon fifties before late wobble as Tigers seal 4-wicket victory against Afghanistan

Bangladesh overcame a dramatic middle-order collapse to chase down 152 and seal victory

Bangladesh weathered a stunning spell from Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan to clinch a tense four-wicket victory in the opening T20 at Sharjah, recovering from a mid-innings implosion to seal the chase with eight balls to spare.

Chasing 152 on Thursday, openers Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan lit up the reply with a blazing 109-run stand inside 12 overs, Bangladesh’s first century partnership against Afghanistan in T20Is.

Both struck rapid half-centuries -- Emon 54 off 37 balls, Tanzid 51 off 34 -- with audacious stroke-play that left Afghanistan ragged.

The game turned sharply when Rashid entered the attack.

Having seen Fareed Ahmad drop Emon on 27, Afghanistan finally celebrated when the seamer removed him. Rashid then took centre stage, his googly skidding past Saif Hassan’s defensive prod before claiming Tanzid in the same over.

The leg-spinner struck twice again in his next over, trapping Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain lbw in quick succession. Noor Ahmad added another scalp, trapping Tanzim Hasan, and Bangladesh’s dominance collapsed into panic.

What looked like a cruise turned into chaos as 6 wickets tumbled for just 9 runs in 25 balls, reducing Bangladesh to 118 for 6 and the match tilted Afghanistan’s way, but Nurul Hasan and Rishad Hossain had other plans.

They steadied nerves before unleashing a late surge. With 21 runs hammered in just 5 balls, the pair carried Bangladesh over the line with a decisive 34-run stand.

Nurul, under pressure after a poor Asia Cup knock, responded with two clean sixes in his unbeaten 23, while Rishad struck three boundaries, including the winning runs.

Earlier, Bangladesh’s bowlers had set up the contest by pinning Afghanistan to 151 for 8.

Taskin Ahmed leaked three boundaries in the opening over, but Nasum Ahmed struck back, bowling Ibrahim Zadran as he slogged.

Tanzim Hasan produced extra bounce to remove Sediqullah Atal, while Darwish Rasooli was run out after a mix-up with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, leaving Afghanistan three down inside the powerplay. Mohammad Ishaq then holed out cheaply as Rishad struck with his first over.

Gurbaz attempted to rebuild with a combative 40, striking three sixes, while Azmatullah Omarzai added 18. Their partnership of 33 ended when Omarzai miscued to long-on. Gurbaz later edged a slower ball from Tanzim Hasan Sakib after striking two fours and three sixes.

Nabi counter-attacked with four sixes in a 25-ball 38, but Taskin’s knuckleball undid him. Sharafuddin Ashraf’s unbeaten 17 pushed Afghanistan past 150, a total that looked competitive until Bangladesh’s openers blazed away.

Afghanistan’s late fightback through Rashid made it a contest, but Nurul and Rishad’s composure ensured Bangladesh began the series 1-0.