Sport
Bangladesh beats Afghanistan despite Janat hat-trick
Afghanistan’s Karim Janat grabbed a hat-trick in the final over but Bangladesh held their nerve to sneak a two-wicket win with just a ball to spare in the first T20 international in Sylhet on Friday.
The hosts seemed to be cruising towards victory in the first encounter of the two-match series after Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain put on 73 runs for the fifth wicket in reply to Afghanistan’s 154-7.
Then drama erupted at the Sylhet International Stadium.
Rashid Khan removed Shamim for 33 to break the partnership, but Bangladesh were still favorites needing only six runs from the final over, AFP reported.
Instead Janat dismissed Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed and Nasum Ahmed with the second, third and fourth balls of the over, leaving the hosts still two runs away.
Shoriful Islam came in at number 10 to strike a powerful shot that raced to boundary, earning Bangladesh a dramatic win.
Hridoy remained unbeaten on 47 at the non-striker’s end as Janat finished with 3-15.
“We had the belief, all our tail-enders can bat. It was Shoriful’s turn today but Miraz could have finished it,” said Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan.
Rashid, the Afghanistan captain, lamented his side’s inability to defend their total.
“With the bowling unit we have, that total was enough but in T20 one innings can take away the game from you,” he said.
The visitors struggled at the start of their innings, losing their first four wickets for 52 runs after Shakib won the toss and elected to bowl.
But Mohammad Nabi scored an unbeaten 54 from 40 balls to give Afghanistan a competitive score.
He hit the first ball he faced for four to signal his intent and kept the scoreboard ticking over, with the occasional boundary.
Najibullah Zadran provided him brief support with a run-a-ball 23 before falling to Mehidy, while Azmatullah Omarzai hit four sixes to score 33 off 18 deliveries, ensuring Afghanistan never lost their way completely.
Shakib was the hosts’ most successful bowler with 2-27.
Similarly Bangladesh were reduced to 64-4 as Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Omarzai and Fareed Ahmed each claimed a wicket before Hridoy and Shamim mounted the comeback.
The second match of the series will be held at the same ground on Sunday.
Abu Muslim Farah defeated Khurasan Faryab 2-0 in the 25th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.
Both teams pushed for an opening goal in the first half, but neither side managed to find the net, and the teams went into the break goalless.
Just two minutes into the second half, Abu Muslim Farah broke the deadlock to take a 1-0 lead.
Alireza Panahi later doubled Abu Muslim Farah’s advantage, sealing a 2-0 victory for the Farah side.
Abu Muslim Farah committed 13 fouls and received two yellow cards, while Khorasan Faryab committed seven fouls and received one yellow card.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television.
Omar Zawak Herat secured a 1-0 victory over Toofan Herat in the 24th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan in Kabul.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Both sides created scoring opportunities in the first half, but neither team managed to find the net before the break.
Omar Zawak Herat broke the deadlock in the 86th minute when Shadab Malikzadah scored with a fine strike to give his side the lead.
Toofan Herat committed eight fouls and received two yellow cards, while Omar Zawak Herat recorded six fouls and received one yellow card and one red card.
Toofan Herat will face Aino Mina Kandahar on September 29, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Abu Muslim Farah on September 30.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Afghanistan are set to face India in the Asian Games cricket quarter-finals after Saturday’s rain-hit match between Nepal and Japan confirmed the Pool A standings.
The quarter-final between India and Afghanistan is scheduled to take place on September 28 in Nisshin, Japan.
Nepal secured first place in the group after Japan’s chase was washed out. Nepal had scored 149 runs for four wickets in 15 overs after being sent in to bat, but persistent rain prevented Japan from starting its innings.
The result saw Nepal advance as Pool A winners, with Afghanistan joining them in the quarter-finals as the other qualifying team. Nepal will face Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.
Japan have been eliminated from the tournament.
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