Litton, Shoriful Help Tigers Avoid Afghanistan Whitewash
Bangladesh secured a convincing victory against Afghanistan in the third and final one-day international in Chittagong, as Litton Das and Shoriful Islam helped the Tigers avoid Afghanistan whitewash. The match was dominated by outstanding performances from Bangladesh’s bowlers and batsmen.
After winning the toss, Afghanistan elected to bat first but struggled to find their rhythm throughout their innings. Bangladesh’s pacer Shoriful Islam wreaked havoc on the Afghan batting lineup, producing a career-best performance of 4-21. He made an early impact by dismissing Ibrahim Zadran for just one run and Rahmat Shah for a duck in the third over. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was exceptional in the previous match, couldn’t replicate his performance and departed for just six runs.
Afghanistan found themselves in deep trouble at 15-4 within nine overs, with Shoriful dismissing Mohammad Nabi as well. The tourists’ batsmen struggled to build partnerships and kept losing wickets due to poor shot selection. Hashmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran managed to stabilize the innings briefly, but their partnership was cut short by Shakib Al Hasan.
Shahidi fought hard but eventually dragged one onto his stumps, ending his patient knock of 22 runs from 54 balls. It was Azmatullah Omarzai who provided some resistance and played a crucial innings, scoring his maiden ODI fifty. However, his efforts weren’t enough to lift Afghanistan to a competitive total. Taskin Ahmed claimed the final wicket, dismissing Omarzai, as Afghanistan were bowled out for 126 runs in 45.2 overs.
Chasing a modest target, Bangladesh got off to a shaky start as Fazalhaq Farooqi removed Naim Sheikh for a duck and Najmul Hossain for 11. However, Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan steadied the ship with a vital partnership of 61 runs for the third wicket. Shakib fell to Mohammad Nabi after scoring a run-a-ball 39, but Liton continued his fine form and played a match-winning innings.
Liton remained unbeaten on 53 runs, smashing three fours and two sixes in his 60-ball stay at the crease. His composed knock guided Bangladesh to victory with seven wickets in hand and 23.3 overs to spare. Youngster Towhid Hridoy also contributed with an unbeaten 22, including the winning boundary off Zia-ur-Rehman.
Bangladesh’s win was a welcome relief for them after losing the first two matches of the series. Shoriful Islam, who played a key role in Bangladesh’s triumph, expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance. He acknowledged the support he received from his teammates and credited their collective effort for the victory.
Afghanistan’s coach, Jonathan Trott, was disappointed with his team’s performance. He highlighted their failure to adjust to the conditions and their lack of partnerships as the main reasons for their defeat. Despite the loss, Afghanistan had already made history by becoming the second team in the past seven years to win an ODI series in Bangladesh, with England being the other.
With the ODI series concluded, attention now shifts to the upcoming T20 matches between the two teams. Two T20 matches are scheduled to take place in Sylhet on July 14 and 16, providing both teams with an opportunity to showcase their skills in the shortest format of the game.
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