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Published : 16 Sep 2025, 08:42 PM
Bangladesh have kept their Asia Cup hopes alive with a narrow 8-run win over Afghanistan in a must-win Group B clash at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Defending 154, Mustafizur Rahman delivered a superb penultimate over, claiming two wickets, to seal the win on Tuesday.
He finished with figures of 3 for 28. Taskin Ahmed (2-34), Nasum Ahmed (2-11), and Rishad Hossain (2-18) also played key roles with two wickets each, as Afghanistan fell short in their chase.
Afghanistan’s innings began in disarray, losing Sediqullah Atal to the first ball of the chase, followed shortly by Ibrahim Zadran (5). Despite a fighting 35 from Rahmanullah Gurbaz, wickets continued to tumble as Gulbadin Naib (16) and Mohammad Nabi (15) departed with the score on 77 for 5.
Azmatullah Omarzai (30) and Rashid Khan (20) added some late spark, but Taskin and Mustafizur kept their nerve at the death.
With 27 needed off the final two overs and three wickets in hand, Mustafizur’s double-strike effectively ended Afghan hopes.
Sri Lanka currently top Group B with two wins in two games. They face Afghanistan in their final group match. If Afghanistan (NRR +2.150) beat Sri Lanka, they could still qualify for the semifinals on net run rate. Bangladesh, with a net run rate of -0.270, must now wait and hope.
Earlier, Bangladesh opted to bat first and posted 154, led by a quickfire 52 off 31 balls from opener Tanzid Hasan. He and Saif Hassan (30) gave the Tigers a strong platform with a 63-run opening stand.
However, Rashid (2-26) and Noor Ahmad (2-23) pegged things back in the middle overs. After Rashid bowled Saif and Noor dismissed Tanzid in the 13th over, Bangladesh lost momentum.
Towhid Hridoy added 26, while Shamim Hossain (11), Jaker Ali (12), and Nurul Hasan (12) chipped in with small contributions to push Bangladesh to a competitive total.
