| 0.0 : TOSS UPDATE - The coin-flip lands in the favor of Afghanistan, and Rashid Khan elects to BAT first. |
| Afghanistan (Unchanged Playing XI) - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (C), Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi. |
| Bangladesh (Playing XI) - Litton Das (WK), Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar (In for Jaker Ali), Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed (In for Mahedi Hasan), Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman. |
| Rashid Khan, the captain of Afghanistan says that they would like to bat first given the conditions. Adds that it is a proud moment for them as a team and have a great opportunity to get into the semis and it is all about getting the basics right and enjoying their games. Mentions that the team is pretty energized with that win against Australia and the mindset is also really positive. Informs that they are going with the same team. |
| Najmul Hossain Shanto, the captain of Bangladesh says they would have bowled first so he's happy. Adds that it's an important game for them and they will have to win but stay calm and focused on the field. Says they need to execute their plans well. Also mentions that the bowling unit has been doing a good job and expects them to continue doing the same but also adds that it is crucial how they bat in this game. Informs two changes as Soumya Sarkar and Taskin Ahmed come in for Jaker Ali and Mah |
| PITCH REPORT - Lisa Sthalekar is pitchside and starts by saying that the weather has cooled down but it is quite sticky. Adds that the long hit is down the ground with 80 meters. Mpumelelo Mbangwa says that it is a used pitch and on the outside, it looks to have good bounce and carry but it isn't quite as it seems and the bowlers will have a good time bowling on it. |
| Shakib Al Hasan is up for a flash interview. He says it's an important game and they have a slim chance and will fight hard. He adds that they have nothing to lose. Says bowling wise he says he's not at his best but it can happen to anyone in the world. Overall, he thinks they have played decent cricket. Also says that in crucial tournaments like these, you need to be at your best which, they haven't. Further adds and ends up by saying that it has been tough for the batters and the bowlers need |
| We aren't far away from the start of the game but first, it is time for the national anthems. The two sets of players are out in the middle and it will be the national anthem of Bangladesh first followed by that of Afghanistan. |
| Done and dusted with the pre-match proceedings and it is time to get this crucial encounter underway. The umpires are out in the middle and the players of Bangladesh huddle up before taking their places on the field as well. It will be that dynamic opening duo of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to open the innings for Afghanistan. Tanzim Hasan Sakib has the new ball in hand and he is raring to go. Let's play... |
| 0.1 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 1 run. |
| 0.2 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, No run. |
| 0.3 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, Ibrahim is underway too! Back of a length, and outside off, Ibrahim Zadran rides on the up and guides it through backward point for a single as the fielder in the 30-yard circle misfields and allows them to cross. |
| 0.4 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Good length, in the channel of off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz shoulders arms. |
| 0.5 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Swing and a miss! |
| 0.6 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 1 run. |
| 0.0 : Taskin Ahmed to steam in from the other end. |
| 1.1 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Good bounce and carry for Taskin first up! Steams in from over the stumps, hurls it on a length, outside off, nipping away a shy as well. Rahmanullah Gurbaz goes fishing at it on the back foot and gets beaten on the outside edge as he plays inside the line of the ball. |
| 1.2 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 1.3 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, BEATEN AGAIN! Errs in a length, in the channel of uncertainty, with an extra bit of bounce around off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gets beaten on the outside edge by a whisker. |
| 1.4 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Continues from over the stumps, bowls it on a length, angling on off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz covers his stumps and hops before tucking it to widish square leg for a single. |
| 1.5 : Taskin Ahmed to Ibrahim Zadran, Bowling fire at the moment Taskin! Pitches it around off and nips it away on a good length, gets that extra bounce once again. Ibrahim Zadran goes for a back foot punch but gets beaten with the movement. |
| 1.6 : Taskin Ahmed to Ibrahim Zadran, Bye. |
| 2.1 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, Short with that extra bounce, Ibrahim Zadran reaches it to outside off and guides it past backward point for a brace. |
| 2.3 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, FOUR! This time he connects well and gets it through! |
| 2.2 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, FOUR BYES! That took off from the surface! Short one again, but going over the batter's head, and even above the leaping Litton Das behind the stumps. Four byes. |
| 2.4 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, No run. |
| 2.5 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, Length-delivery on the stumps, Ibrahim Zadran hops back and punches it to the off side. |
| 2.6 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, A quick single to end the third. Angles it a bit closer to the body, on a good length, Ibrahim Zadran is on the back foot and punches it across towards widish mid on for a quick single to retain the strike. |
| 3.1 : Taskin Ahmed to Ibrahim Zadran, 1 run. |
| 3.2 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Trying too hard here! Pitches it up and over the middle stump, Rahmanullah Gurbaz skips down the track to hoick it across but misses to connect. |
| 3.3 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Drop and run! Good running between the wickets! Hard length, nipping into the batter on middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz hops on the back foot and tucks it with soft hands through mid-wicket and hurries back for the second. |
| 3.4 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Good bounce and carry! Taskin Ahmed charges it, bends his back and bangs it into the pitch, short and outside off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz sways away from the line and lets it go. Litton Das collects it overhead behind the stumps. |
| 3.5 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Calls it for two and gets it! Rahmanullah Gurbaz is up for the third but gets a sendback from Ibrahim! Good length, on the stumps, Rahmanullah Gurbaz tucks it across towards deep mid-wicket and scampers back for the second. |
| 3.6 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Back of a length again, a shy outside off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz camps back on the back foot and eases it off in front of cover-point. Bangladesh bowlers have been excellent so far with their lines and lengths. Just 5 from this over. |
| 4.1 : Shakib Al Hasan to Ibrahim Zadran, Around the stumps, and drifting in with the arm on a length, around middle and leg, Ibrahim Zadran plays over the line and wears it on the thigh pad. |
| 4.2 : Shakib Al Hasan to Ibrahim Zadran, Slows it up on a fuller length, in front of the stumps, Ibrahim Zadran strides ahead and defends it back to the bowler. |
| 4.3 : Shakib Al Hasan to Ibrahim Zadran, DROPPED! Not an easy chance though as it was hit so hard! |
| 4.4 : Shakib Al Hasan to Ibrahim Zadran, Flighted one outside off, Ibrahim Zadran leans onto the ball and drives it along the carpet for a single to long off. |
| 4.5 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Slightly short in length this time from Shakib, on the stumps, Rahmanullah Gurbaz goes for a back foot punch but hits it uppishly and falls just on one bounce ahead of mid on. |
| 4.6 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Tossed up outside off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz lunges forward and drive it to long off for a single. |
| 5.1 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nicely bowled first up! |
| 4.6 : Mustafizur Rahman comes into the attack now. |
| 5.2 : Halt! |
| Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ouch! Rahmanullah Gurbaz trying to manufacture a shot there but takes a stinging blow just near the right shoulder. |
| 5.3 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, FOUR! Poor line from the Fizz and Rahmanullah Gurbaz does enough. This is banged in short and just down the leg side, Gurbaz gets inside the line and gets a top edge while attempting the pull and the ball races away to the fine leg fence. |
| 5.4 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Pitched up in the channel outside off and slanting across, Rahmanullah Gurbaz shoulders arms at that one. |
| 5.5 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 5.6 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, A beauty to end the Powerplay and Afghanistan are 27/0! Just short of a good length and on a tight line around off stump, shooting off the deck and going straight on. Rahmanullah Gurbaz gets taken aback as the ball zips past his outside edge. |
| 6.1 : Shakib Al Hasan to Ibrahim Zadran, Flighted ball, full and drifted onto middle, Ibrahim Zadran plays it back to the bowler off the inner half of the bat. |
| 6.2 : Shakib Al Hasan to Ibrahim Zadran, Short and on off stump, sitting up for the batter, Ibrahim Zadran rocks back and punches it firmly towards sweeper cover for a single. |
| 6.3 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Excellent running yet again and in the end, it could have been a run out. Slower one, drifted into middle and leg and turning away, Rahmanullah Gurbaz pushes it in front of point and sets off for the single. The throw at the keeper's end is wide and Gurbaz wants to come back for two but is sent back in time. |
| 6.4 : Shakib Al Hasan to Ibrahim Zadran, Flighted up a bit fuller and around off stump, Ibrahim Zadran plays it out in front of covers for another quick single. |
| 6.5 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 6.6 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, SIX! BANG! Shakib Al Hasan offers a bit more air and tosses it up on the stumps, Rahmanullah Gurbaz dances down the track, gets to the pitch of the ball and smashes it right back over the bowler's head for a biggie. |
| 7.1 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, Back of a length and outside off stump, Ibrahim Zadran latches onto the width and hammers it away wide of deep cover for a couple of easy runs. |
| 7.2 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, 1 run. |
| 7.3 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, The call is for two and they get it with ease! Bowled a bit fuller and on the pads, slower too, Rahmanullah Gurbaz flicks it through mid-wicket and races back for the second run. |
| 7.4 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, FIVE WIDES! Oh, this is just frustrating for Bangladesh and highly unnecessary. Tanzim Hasan Sakib bangs this one in well short and over middle, the ball flies off the deck and Litton Das leaps up getting a glove on it but it runs away to the fence. |
| Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 7.5 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 1 run. |
| 7.6 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Ibrahim Zadran, Good pace and bounce and Bangladesh just aren't able to find those outside edges. Just short of a good length and around off stump, shooting off the deck, Ibrahim Zadran looks to play at it but is beaten. |
| 8.1 : Rishad Hossain to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 runs. |
| 8.2 : Rishad Hossain to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, The call is for two again but this time they won't get it, however, it's another 50-run stand between these two. On the stumps, worked away through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 8.3 : Rishad Hossain to Ibrahim Zadran, Beauty! Nagging length, drifted in from outside off and turning away sharply after pitching, Ibrahim Zadran looks to play off the back foot but is beaten past the outside edge. |
| 8.4 : Rishad Hossain to Ibrahim Zadran, No run. |
| 8.5 : Rishad Hossain to Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Wides! |
| Rishad Hossain to Ibrahim Zadran, On the shorter side and pushed wide of the off stump, Ibrahim Zadran reaches out and taps it past the point region for a single. |
| 8.6 : Rishad Hossain to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Floated up on middle and leg stump, Rahmanullah Gurbaz leans right on and blocks it down the pitch. |
| 9.1 : Mustafizur Rahman to Ibrahim Zadran, Excellent hand on that one! |
| 9.2 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Banged in short over middle stump, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gets across and pulls it firmly towards deep square leg for one more. |
| 9.3 : Mustafizur Rahman to Ibrahim Zadran, Back of a length again and around off, a bit more on the shorter side, Ibrahim Zadran lets the ball come on and dabs it down to deep third for a single. |
| 9.4 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Swing and a miss! |
| 9.5 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Good follow-up delivery as well. Dishes out the slower one, bowling it up at the batter and inviting the drive. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is early in the shot and plays it uppishly in front of the cover fielder. |
| 9.6 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, One more to end the over. |
| 0.0 : Drinks break! The bowlers of Bangladesh have been right on the money and have asked all the tough questions to the opposition batters of Afghanistan, consistently beating the outside edges of the willow. But they just haven't found that breakthrough yet. Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz have negotiated those vicious deliveries and are crawling around run a ball. They have compensated those boundaries by excellent running between the wickets, turning singles into doubles. Bangladesh is |
| 10.1 : Rishad Hossain to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Short, on top of middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz hangs back and pulls it towards widish mid on for a single. |
| 10.2 : Rishad Hossain to Ibrahim Zadran, Closer to the batter on a length, Ibrahim Zadran hits it back to the bowler oft the back foot. |
| 10.3 : Rishad Hossain to Ibrahim Zadran, Oh, the bat comes off from the hands! |
| 10.4 : Rishad Hossain to Ibrahim Zadran, OUT! c Tanzim Hasan Sakib b Rishad Hossain. |
| 0.0 : Azmatullah Omarzai is in at number 3. |
| 10.5 : Rishad Hossain to Azmatullah Omarzai, Full and outside off, Azmatullah Omarzai drives it confidently but finds covers. |
| 10.6 : Rishad Hossain to Azmatullah Omarzai, No run. |
| 11.1 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 11.2 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 11.3 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 11.4 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Bangs it short and well outside off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz stands tall and goes for a ramp shot over the short third but misses. |
| 11.5 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 11.6 : Taskin Ahmed to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, A maiden over from Taskin Ahmed! Good length and in the channel of off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz rides on the bounce and defends it to the bowler. |
| 12.1 : Shakib Al Hasan to Azmatullah Omarzai, 7th dot in a row! Flights it up with the arm, closer to the off-pole, Azmatullah Omarzai cuts it straight to backward point. |
| 12.3 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 12.4 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 1 run. |
| 12.2 : Shakib Al Hasan to Azmatullah Omarzai, 1 run. |
| 12.5 : Shakib Al Hasan to Azmatullah Omarzai, Full on the middle stump. Azmatullah Omarzai gets ahead and knocks it down at long on for a single. |
| 12.6 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 13.1 : Rishad Hossain to Azmatullah Omarzai, Valiant effort! Full in length and outside off, with a good amount of revs on it, Azmatullah Omarzai clears his front leg but slices it up in the night sky. The ball balloons but over covers. The fielder sprints in front the deep and puts in a dive forward but doesn't quite manage to get to the ball. Two taken. |
| 13.2 : Rishad Hossain to Azmatullah Omarzai, Full and wide of off, Azmatullah Omarzai drives it to deep extra covers for one. |
| 13.3 : Rishad Hossain to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Four! |
| 13.4 : Rishad Hossain to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 13.5 : Rishad Hossain to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Full and wide outside off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz shuffles and sweeps it to deep square leg for a couple. |
| 13.6 : Rishad Hossain to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, FOUR! Nice shot! |
| 14.1 : Shakib Al Hasan to Azmatullah Omarzai, 1 run. |
| 14.2 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 1 run. |
| 14.3 : Shakib Al Hasan to Azmatullah Omarzai, Good length, and on middle, Azmatullah Omarzai cuts it to backward point. Mahmudullah runs to his left from covers and stops it but couldn't restrict the double. |
| 14.5 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Tossed up on the stumps, Rahmanullah Gurbaz dances down to the pitch of the ball and eases it back to the right of the bowler. |
| 14.6 : Shakib Al Hasan to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Too full and outside off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gets a step forward and drives it to the bowler again. |
| 14.4 : Shakib Al Hasan to Azmatullah Omarzai, 1 run. |
| 15.1 : Mustafizur Rahman to Azmatullah Omarzai, Pitched up wide of the off stump, Azmatullah Omarzai reaches out and jams it back onto the deck and the ball rolls to the off side. They get a single. |
| 15.2 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Swing and a miss! This is bowled quite full and close to the off stump, Rahmanullah Gurbaz shuffles across to heave it away but is well beaten. |
| 15.3 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shortens the length and bowls it over off stump, Rahmanullah Gurbaz leans back and just angles the ball away wide of deep third for a couple of runs. |
| 15.4 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, What happened there? A comedy of errors out in the middle and that is poor cricket from both sides. |
| 15.5 : Mustafizur Rahman to Azmatullah Omarzai, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! Good review from Bangladesh and Mustafizur Rahman gets a timely wicket. |
| Gulbadin Naib is in at number 4. |
| 15.6 : Mustafizur Rahman to Gulbadin Naib, FOUR! Hammered away! |
| 16.1 : Rishad Hossain to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, OUT! CAUGHT! Rishad Hossain with the big strike and Rahmanullah Gurbaz is left in disbelief. |
| 16.2 : Rishad Hossain to Mohammad Nabi, Tossed up full and on off stump, Mohammad Nabi hammers it flat and on the bounce to long off for a single. |
| 0.0 : 'The President' Mohammad Nabi walks in at number 4. |
| 16.3 : Rishad Hossain to Gulbadin Naib, No run. |
| 16.4 : Rishad Hossain to Gulbadin Naib, OUT! CAUGHT! What a catch from Soumya Sarkar and Rishad Hossain has his third wicket. |
| Karim Janat is in at number 6. |
| 16.5 : Rishad Hossain to Karim Janat, No run. |
| 16.6 : Rishad Hossain to Karim Janat, FOUR! That is some shot! Tossed up again and outside off, Karim Janat leans on and smashes the ball away through extra cover for a boundary. End of an entertaining over. |
| 17.1 : Taskin Ahmed to Mohammad Nabi, No run. |
| 17.2 : Taskin Ahmed to Mohammad Nabi, No run. |
| 17.3 : Taskin Ahmed to Mohammad Nabi, A third short ball in a row and the result is exactly the same and Bangladesh are loving it. Banged in short and around off stump, angling back in, Nabi pulls and misses yet again. |
| 17.4 : Taskin Ahmed to Mohammad Nabi, OUT! CAUGHT! Taskin Ahmed built up enough pressure in those first three deliveries and is now rewarded with a wicket. |
| Who walks in next to bat? |
| 17.5 : Taskin Ahmed to Rashid Khan, Back of a length and in the channel outside off, Rashid Khan looks to get across and pull but is beaten. |
| 17.6 : Taskin Ahmed to Rashid Khan, SIX! Rashid Khan connects and connects well! |
| Who bowls the penultimate over? |
| 18.1 : Mustafizur Rahman to Karim Janat, Nicely bowled! Slightly back of a length over middle, some additional bounce and nipping back in off the deck as well. Karim Janat gets pegged back and beaten on the inside edge while looking to work it away. |
| 18.2 : Mustafizur Rahman to Karim Janat, Shorter this time and at the batter's body, Karim Janat manages to fend it away towards short fine leg for a single. The 100 is finally up for Afghanistan. |
| 18.3 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rashid Khan, No run. |
| 18.4 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rashid Khan, A bit of cat and mouse between the bowler and batter. Rashid Khan moves in the crease and walks past the outside off, Mustafizur Rahman follows him with a slow and wide one. Rashid doesn't quite keep his shape and fails to play it over the off side and no wide is signaled either. |
| 18.5 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rashid Khan, No run. |
| 18.6 : Mustafizur Rahman to Rashid Khan, No run. |
| 0.0 : Who bowls the final over for Bangladesh? |
| 19.1 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Karim Janat, Excellent fielding from Najmul Hossain Shanto. |
| 19.2 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rashid Khan, Six! |
| 19.3 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rashid Khan, 1 run. |
| 19.4 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Karim Janat, 1 run. |
| 19.5 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rashid Khan, No run. |
| 19.6 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib to Rashid Khan, SIX! BANG! |
| 0.0 : Well, it is just getting more and more dramatic and intense out there at St Vincent as it has started to pour down very heavily now. The groundsmen bring the covers in. Afghanistan finish off with 115 runs on the board and Bangladesh would surely feel mighty proud of their bowling efforts. |
| The Afghan openers found themselves in hot water against the pacers' barrage of hostile deliveries. Gurbaz and Zadran weathered the storm, though, gritting their teeth through a tense powerplay. They had several plays and misses. However, their cautious approach may not have set the scoreboard alight, but it kept their wickets intact which surely was a psychological win for the two Afghan openers. They displayed excellent running between the wickets, converting singles into doubles with sharp ju |
| Bangladesh unleashed a fierce opening salvo, with Taskin Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan Sakib peppering the Afghan openers with relentless back-of-length deliveries. The batters found themselves in constant peril, their edges repeatedly tested as the ball whistled past. Despite their aggressive tactics and pinpoint accuracy, the Bangladeshi bowlers couldn't breach the Afghan defenses during the powerplay and were a quite sloppy in the field as well. However, the game's complexion changed dramatically in |
| The race for the semifinals has reached a thrilling crescendo, and it just couldn't get more intense and nerve-wracking as Australia, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan are all still alive in contention. However, the weather looms as a wild card that could shuffle the deck as for Afghanistan, a washout would do the job. For Bangladesh, the equation is quite straight, they must not only secure victory but do so at breakneck speed. To leapfrog both Australia and Afghanistan in terms of NRR, they need |
| UPDATE 7.50 am IST (2.20 am GMT) - The rain is still around in St Vincent and the live visuals from the ground show that it has slowed down in intensity quite a bit. Also, if we do lose overs and it ends up being a 15-over chase, Bangladesh will have to chase down 94 runs in 7.2 overs if they were to qualify for the semifinals but that's still far away and there will be multiple scenarios as we get a clearer picture. A few minutes later and the rain has stopped which is good news. The visuals s |
| UPDATE 8.01 am IST (2.31 am GMT) - Covers are coming off now! Hopefully, we do get a quick restart and if so, we will certainly have a complete game given there's no further rain. |
| UPDATE 8.11 am IST (2.41 am GMT) - It seems the match is about to restart right away. We will start at 8.15 am IST (2.45 am GMT) and no overs are lost. |
| 0.2 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Tanzid Hasan, Switches to around the stumps now to the left-hander and gets it to swing away from middle and leg. It is on a good length and Tanzid Hasan blocks it off the front foot to covers. |
| 0.1 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, Off the mark right away! Naveen-ul-Haq comes from over the stumps to the right-hander and bowls it full and outside off stump. Litton Das taps it on the up to mid off and gets across for the quick single. |
| 0.4 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, FOUR! Streaky but will do nicely for Litton Das and Bangladesh. Pitched up well wide of the off stump, Das goes after it and gets a big top edge that flies down to deep third for a boundary. |
| 0.3 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Tanzid Hasan, Tidy fielding from Karim Janat. On a dragged length and at the body, Tanzid Hasan tries to get inside the line but gets it off the thigh pad fine of short third and picks up a leg bye. |
| 0.5 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, SIX! Wow, that has been crunched! Wider on the crease and angled back in on a fuller length around off. Litton Das is quick to walk past the off stump and whacks the ball well beyond deep mid-wicket for 91-meter biggie. |
| 0.6 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, Oh, dear! The ball seems to have died down on its way to the keeper and struck Rahmanullah Gurbaz on the knee cap. Slower one, pitched up a bit and outside off, Litton Das looks to drive but is beaten and the ball rolls off the keeper to backward point as they get a bye. The physio is out to have a look and hopefully, Gurbaz is fine. |
| 1.1 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Litton Das, Starts off on a much straighter line and swings it back onto the pads. Litton Das misses the flick and the ball goes off the pads between the keeper and short fine leg. The ball plugs and the batters pick up a couple of leg byes. |
| 1.2 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Litton Das, Bowled back of a length and around off stump, Litton Das taps the ball out in front of point for an easy single. |
| 0.0 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to bowl the second over of the chase. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is agonizing in pain as he has taken a hit on his left knee as the ball stayed dramatically low and reached him on a couple of bounces. The physio is out there to check him up and the other Afghan players surround him while he gets treated with the magic spray. Oh, no, Rahmanullah Gurbaz is walking off the field grimacing and limping in immense pain supported by the physio. Mohammad Ishaq has replaced Gurbaz as the b |
| 1.3 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tanzid Hasan, OUT! LBW! A lovely inswinger from Fazalhaq Farooqi and after a prolonged appeal, the umpire's finger goes up for the LBW. Tanzid Hasan has a long chat with Litton Das and reviews it on the last second. |
| 0.0 : Najmul Hossain Shanto, the skipper of Bangladesh walks out to the middle at number 3. |
| 1.4 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Najmul Hossain Shanto, Pitched-up delivery, looking to swing it back in from the off stump, Najmul Hossain Shanto plays it on the up and towards mid on for a single. |
| 1.5 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Litton Das, 1 run. |
| 1.6 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Najmul Hossain Shanto, Swing and a miss! Pitched up full and outside off, gets that big inswinger going away and Najmul Hossain Shanto is drawn into the expansive drive but is well beaten. |
| 0.0 : Is that out? Afghanistan has challenged the on-field decision for LBW. UltraEdge shows that there's a clear gap between the bat and the ball. Ball Tracking confirms that the Impact is in line but the ball is missing the leg stump by a fair extent. NOT OUT. |
| 2.1 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, NOT OUT! Both teams have now lost an early review. |
| 2.2 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Najmul Hossain Shanto, Four! |
| 2.3 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Najmul Hossain Shanto, Slower one, bowled full and outside off stump, Najmul Hossain Shanto looks to drive it away but is beaten by the lack of pace. |
| 2.4 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Najmul Hossain Shanto, OUT! CAUGHT! Straight to the man and Afghanistan have their second wicket. |
| 0.0 : The vastly experienced Bangladeshi veteran, Shakib Al Hasan is in at number 4. |
| 2.5 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Shakib Al Hasan, OUT! CAUGHT AND BOWLED! Naveen-ul-Haq manages to hang on and he's got two in two! |
| 0.0 : Soumya Sarkar is the new batter in at number 5. |
| 2.6 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Soumya Sarkar, No hat-trick but a momentum-shifting over from Naveen-ul-Haq nonetheless. This is pitched up on the off stump, just nipping away a bit. Soumya Sarkar tentatively plays at it and edges it down with soft hands to third man for a single. |
| 3.1 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Soumya Sarkar, WIDE! Pitched up on leg stump and swinging down the leg side, wide called. |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi to Soumya Sarkar, FOUR! Picked-up and dispatched! Fazalhaq Farooqi serves a bit of a half-volley on the pads, Soumya Sarkar takes it on and flicks it high and in front of square on the leg side for a boundary. |
| 3.2 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Soumya Sarkar, A direct hit might have been tight! Back of a length and around off stump, Soumya Sarkar taps the ball towards backward point and sets off for the single. Azmatullah Omarzai picks up the ball and has a shy at the batter's end but misses. |
| 3.3 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Litton Das, WIDE! The attempted slower ball, spilled full and down the leg side for a wide. |
| 0.0 : UPDATE - 8.45 am IST (3.15 am GMT) - Uh, oh! The drizzle is getting heavier now. The players sprint towards their respective dugouts, and the groundsmen rush with the covers to protect the strip. The squares are also getting covered with white sheets all over the ground now. There is a heavy breeze which seems to be moving the rain clouds out of the vicinity for now which could be good news. However, as per the on-air commentators, there's a forecast for heavy to very heavy rainfall later on a |
| UPDATE - 8.57 am IST (3.27 am GMT) - There is good news from the ground as the rain has stopped. The time for restart is 9.13 am IST (3.43 am GMT) which is about 15 minutes away. So, grab a cup of coffee and get strapped in as this crucial encounter continues to provide high drama. Also, we still haven't lost any over which is a good thing. If the rain does arrive again then the least Bangladesh need to get a win is to be 35 for 3 at the end of 5 overs which is the DLS par score but that won |
| We are back! The rain has finally stopped now and the Afghan players are taking their fielding positions. Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar to resume their innings. Fazalhaq Farooqi will continue with his second over. |
| 3.3 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Litton Das, Comes from around the stumps and pitches it up outside off, taking some pace off as well. Litton Das lets the ball come on and just guides it wide of backward point for a single. |
| 3.4 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Soumya Sarkar, Good, positive running from the batters! Back of a length and around off stump, bouncing a bit extra, Soumya Sarkar hops back and dabs it down in front of point and runs a single. |
| 3.5 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Litton Das, Floated up on a good length and wide of the off stump, Litton Das reaches out and taps the ball wide of the man at deep third for one more. |
| 3.6 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Soumya Sarkar, Pitched up around middle and leg, Soumya Sarkar walks into the shot and gets inside the line a bit before flicking it up and over the mid-wicket region for a couple of runs. |
| 4.1 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, No run there! Takes pace off and bowls it a tad fuller outside off and angles it back in, Litton Das punches it sweetly but straight to covers. |
| 4.2 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, Nicely bowled again! |
| 4.3 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, FOUR! Good shot! Litton Das comes down the pitch and Naveen-ul-Haq bangs it in short and outside off. Das does well to reach the ball and uppercuts it over the backward point region for a handy boundary. |
| 4.4 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, Good comeback delivery from Naveen! Goes pace on, bowling it full and in the channel around off stump and angling back in. Litton Das looks to drive but is beaten. |
| 4.5 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, On a good length and outside off, Litton Das moves across to the off side and takes on the lofted shot, not timing it perfectly but enough to get it over mid off. The ball plugs in the outfield and they get a couple of runs more. |
| 4.6 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, Hard length around middle and angling in, Litton Das walks inside the line of the ball and hits it to deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| Mohammad Nabi comes in to bowl the final over of the Powerplay. |
| 5.1 : Mohammad Nabi to Litton Das, No run. |
| 5.2 : Mohammad Nabi to Litton Das, This one sharply turns in on a length, on the middle, Litton Das goes back and across quickly and cuts it late to short third for a quick single. A throw at the non-striker's end and a good backup. |
| 5.3 : Mohammad Nabi to Soumya Sarkar, Just short of Fazalhaq Farooqi. Round the wicket, on a length, at the stumps, Soumya Sarkar goes for a reverse sweep but gets it off the top edge that falls just short ahead of Fazalhaq Farooqi at short third. |
| 5.4 : Mohammad Nabi to Soumya Sarkar, 1 run. |
| 5.5 : Mohammad Nabi to Litton Das, Tossed up middle, Litton Das slogs it to deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 5.6 : Mohammad Nabi to Soumya Sarkar, No run. |
| 6.1 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, Short from Rashid, outside off, Litton Das sits and drags it down to long on for one. |
| 6.2 : Rashid Khan to Soumya Sarkar, Tossed up down the leg side. Soumya Sarkar goes for a slog sweep once again but it clips on the pads. |
| 6.3 : Rashid Khan to Soumya Sarkar, WIDE! Turns and drifts it down the leg side. Soumya Sarkar misses to clip it to the leg side. Wide given. |
| Rashid Khan to Soumya Sarkar, OUT! KNOCKED HIM OVER! Rashid Khan strikes in his first over and Bangladesh lose the fourth wicket now. |
| 0.0 : Towhid Hridoy walks in at number 6. |
| 6.4 : Rashid Khan to Towhid Hridoy, 1 run. |
| 6.5 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, 1 run. |
| 6.6 : Rashid Khan to Towhid Hridoy, Tossed up around the stumps, Towhid Hridoy leans and steers it towards deep backward square leg for a single. |
| 7.1 : Mohammad Nabi to Towhid Hridoy, Shade full in length, around off, skids through quickly as well. Towhid Hridoy pats it back to the bowler. |
| 7.2 : Mohammad Nabi to Towhid Hridoy, Slower through the air on off, turning into the batter, Towhid Hridoy goes back and across and punches it straight towards covers. |
| 7.3 : Mohammad Nabi to Towhid Hridoy, IN THE AIR AND DROPPED! |
| 7.4 : Mohammad Nabi to Towhid Hridoy, Four! |
| 7.5 : Mohammad Nabi to Towhid Hridoy, Four! |
| 7.6 : Mohammad Nabi to Towhid Hridoy, Full and on the off stump line, Towhid Hridoy steers it to deep mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 8.1 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, Googly turning on the leg stump line, Litton Das sits for a sweep but it brushes off his pads towards widish short fine for a leg bye. |
| 0.0 : Mahmudullah is the new man in. |
| 8.2 : Rashid Khan to Towhid Hridoy, OUT! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Rashid does it again. He is such a key weapon for this Afghan outfit! |
| 8.3 : Rashid Khan to Mahmudullah, 1 run. |
| 8.4 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, Quicker one on a shortish length and outside off, Litton Das goes for a cut shot but misses. |
| 8.5 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, Four! |
| 8.6 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, FOUR! What a shot! Two-in-two for Litton Das. A wrong'un outside off, on a good length, Litton Das quickly uses the depth of the crease and cuts it late and very fine towards the vacant deep third for a boundary. |
| Noor Ahmad is now brought into the attack. |
| 9.1 : Noor Ahmad to Mahmudullah, No run. |
| 9.2 : Noor Ahmad to Mahmudullah, No run. |
| 9.3 : Noor Ahmad to Mahmudullah, No run. |
| 9.4 : Noor Ahmad to Mahmudullah, FOUR! Shot! Serves a half volley on off, Mahmudullah reaches to it with a huge stride forward and caresses the drive through covers for a boundary. |
| 9.5 : Noor Ahmad to Mahmudullah, No run. |
| 9.6 : Noor Ahmad to Mahmudullah, No run. |
| 0.0 : Drinks break! Well then, after 10 overs of the run chase, still all three teams are in with a chance. Afghanistan need 5 more wickets to win whereas Bangladesh need 39 runs in just 2.1 overs if they want to qualify but if they get to those 39 runs even after the stipulated time, Afghanistan will be knocked out. This is the last recognized batting pair for Bangladesh but the next couple of batters can strike a ball and Rashid Khan will be aware of that. It will be interesting to see how Rash |
| 10.1 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, Drags it down a bit bowling it flatter on the stumps, Litton Das rocks back and swats it down to long on for a single. |
| 10.2 : Rashid Khan to Mahmudullah, On a fuller length on off stump, Mahmudullah watchfully plays it away past the point region for just one more. It seems Bangladesh have accepted their fate and just won to win the game rather than go for broke. |
| 10.3 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, No run. |
| 10.4 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, Shorter in length and over the stumps, Litton Das backs away and pulls it firmly through mid-wicket for just another single. |
| 10.5 : Rashid Khan to Mahmudullah, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! What a review! No one other than the keeper was sure about it but Rashid Khan took the risk and it paid off big time. |
| 0.0 : Rishad Hossain is the next batter for Bangladesh. |
| 10.6 : Rashid Khan to Rishad Hossain, OUT! BOWLED'EM! Rashid Khan, you beauty! |
| 0.0 : Tanzim Hasan Sakib is the new batter in. |
| 11.1 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, Floats it up, a bit full and on leg stump, Litton Das gets a leading edge onto the off side and picks up a single. |
| 11.2 : Noor Ahmad to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, A wrong'un from Noor Ahmad, bowled flatter and around off stump, zipping away, Tanzim Hasan Sakib gets squared up and beaten past the outside edge. |
| 11.3 : Noor Ahmad to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, No run. |
| 11.4 : Noor Ahmad to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, And again! |
| 0.0 : UPDATE - Oh, dear! The rain has arrived again and the covers are coming on. Bangladesh are behind by 2 runs in the DLS method and as it stands, Afghanistan will go through. It was a slight drizzle early on and the umpires were adamant to keep the play going before Gulbadin Naib at first slipped down on the ground holding his hamstring and Rashid Khan was absolutely livid with that act. The fact of the matter is the umpires might have called the covers on anyway but there was a signal from t |
| 11.5 : Noor Ahmad to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 1 run. |
| 0.0 : We are back again. It was just another passing shower and the players are back on the field to resume the proceedings. We have officially lost 1 over now and the revised target is 114 in 19 overs. Gulbadin Naib hasn't taken the field and Najibullah Zadran is in for him. |
| 11.6 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, Flighted up on the off stump line, Litton Das leans ahead and blocks it down the pitch. |
| 12.1 : Rashid Khan to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, The wrong'un, pushed through a bit fuller and on middle stump, Tanzim Hasan Sakib rocks back nicely and punches it with a straight bat down to long on for a single. Bangladesh are officially out of the semifinals race! |
| 12.2 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, Fractionally short over middle, Litton Das uses the depth of the crease and backs away before pulling it in front of deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs. |
| 12.3 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, Bowled into the pitch and at the batter, Litton Das rocks back and forces the pull without much timing down to long on for a run. |
| 12.4 : Rashid Khan to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nicely played! Bowled flatter and around off stump, Tanzim Hasan Sakib lets the ball come on and punches it square through cover-point for one more. |
| 12.5 : Rashid Khan to Litton Das, Another wrong'un, on the shorter side and turning back in from outside off, Litton Das presses back and dabs it wide of backward point for another single. Bangladesh are officially out of the semifinals race now! |
| 12.6 : Rashid Khan to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, A bit fuller and at the batter, turning in, Tanzim Hasan Sakib manages to block it off. End of a stellar spell from Rashid Khan as he finishes with 4 for 23 in 4 overs. |
| 13.1 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, Things are getting nervy out in the middle. Looped up, a bit too full and around off, this one dips and Litton Das plays it on the full through mid-wicket. They push for two but Tanzim Hasan Sakib drops his bat and the throw from the deep is at the bowler's end but is a bit late. |
| 13.2 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, No run. |
| 13.3 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, No run. |
| 13.4 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, On a good length and around off, Litton Das plays it through mid on and picks up a single. |
| 13.5 : Noor Ahmad to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, No run. |
| 13.6 : Noor Ahmad to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, No run. |
| 0.0 : Gulbadin Naib is back on the filed now and will bowl the next over. |
| 14.1 : Gulbadin Naib to Litton Das, Charges in from over the wicket and takes the pace off, on a length, on off, Litton Das waits for it to come at him and turns it to widish mid on for a quick single. |
| 14.2 : Gulbadin Naib to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, OUT! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Gulbadin Naib with the golden arm! What a belter of a game this is turning out to be! |
| 0.0 : Taskin Ahmed is the next man in for Bangladesh. |
| 14.3 : Gulbadin Naib to Taskin Ahmed, Hits the tight line and a good length, at off, Taskin Ahmed pats it off the outer half of his willow towards point. Dot ball. |
| 14.4 : Gulbadin Naib to Taskin Ahmed, Around the wicket on a shorter length, outside off, Taskin Ahmed ducks underneath it. The umpire signals for a first bounce. |
| 14.5 : Gulbadin Naib to Taskin Ahmed, Angles it onto the pads, on a length, Taskin Ahmed misses to flick it across and wears it high on the thigh pad. The ball rolls towards widish square leg and they take a bye. |
| 14.6 : Gulbadin Naib to Litton Das, Short in length and over the top of off, Litton Das stands tall with an upright stance and pulls it along the ground towards deep mid-wicket for a single to retain the strike. |
| 15.1 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, A googly, stays low on the stumps and full in length, Litton Das negotiates well and blocks it off the back foot. |
| 15.2 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, FOUR! What a crucial boundary this is! Litton Das gets his hard fought 50. He stands between Afghanistan and their aspirations. Full and on the stumps, Litton Das cashes onto it and sweeps it through deep backward square leg for a boundary. |
| 15.3 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, A googly on a short length, outside off, Litton Das leaves. |
| 15.4 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, No run. |
| 15.5 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, Good length and a googly on off, Litton Das covers the off-pole and dabs it to short third. |
| 15.6 : Noor Ahmad to Litton Das, A loud appeal for LBW but turned down. Noor Ahmad is begging to the umpire and they do go upstairs and why not? Noor lands it right in front of the stumps and on a fuller length that turns a shade into the batter after pitching. Litton Das is drawn forward and goes for a front foot defence and wears it on the front pad. UltraEdge shows that there's no bat involved but dramatically Ball Tracking shows that the impact and the wickets are on umpire's call. |
| 16.1 : Gulbadin Naib to Taskin Ahmed, Leg bye. |
| 16.2 : Gulbadin Naib to Litton Das, Short and outside off, Litton Das pulls it along the grass to long on for one. The DLS score is now level. |
| 16.3 : Gulbadin Naib to Taskin Ahmed, Fuller in length from around the stumps, Taskin Ahmed flicks it towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 16.4 : Gulbadin Naib to Litton Das, 1 run. |
| 16.5 : Gulbadin Naib to Taskin Ahmed, A bit of a yes and no from the two batters but they don't run. Back of a length, around off, Taskin Ahmed defends it in front of covers and wants a quick run but gets a sendback from Litton Das. |
| 16.6 : Gulbadin Naib to Taskin Ahmed, A dot to end the over. Gulbadin Naib is appealing for caught behind but just for a brief moment. Short and angling on off, Taskin Ahmed is beaten on the back foot. |
| 0.0 : Naveen-ul-Haq (3-0-23-2) is brought on to bowl the all-important penultimate over. |
| 17.1 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, Just a single! Naveen-ul-Haq attacks the off stump on a length, Litton Das backs away from the line of the ball and guides it between cover-point for a single. 11 needed off 11 now. |
| 17.2 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Taskin Ahmed, 1 run. |
| 0.0 : The rain is getting heavier now and Bangladesh are currently a run ahead on the DLS method. But the play goes on and this game just keeps on getting more and more intriguing. |
| 17.3 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Litton Das, PUT DOWN! Naveen-ul-Haq gets his right hand at it but can't keep a hold of it on his follow-through. A genuine chance gone begging. Full and outside off, Litton Das looks to drive downtown but plays it early and chips it straight back to Naveen-ul-Haq who shells it and parries it to mid on for a single. |
| 17.4 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Taskin Ahmed, OUT! CHOPPED ON! Afghanistan just a solitary wicket now from the qualification! |
| 0.0 : UPDATE 10.29 am IST (4.59 am GMT) - Mustafizur Rahman is the last man in for Bangladesh. Uh, oh! Mustafizur did walk out to bat but he has to walk right back and the covers are coming on as the rain is really pelting down now. What a difference one single delivery makes in such situations as Bangladesh were ahead of the DLS score before the last delivery and now they are 3 runs behind. Hold on! It's cat and mouse stuff in the middle as the covers are taken off and we will have a prompt restart |
| 17.5 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Mustafizur Rahman, OUT! LBW! AFGHANISTAN HAVE DONE IT! THEY HAVE TURNED THE TABLES UPSIDE DOWN FROM HAVING BACKS AGAINST THEIR WALL! The celebrations begin from Kabul to Kandahar. |
| 0.0 : AFGHANISTAN HAVE DARED TO DREAM AND HAVE TURNED AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM INTO REALITY! Afghanistan storm into their first-ever T20 World Cup semifinal and this is their first semifinal at the senior level at any World Cup and they have knocked the reigning ODI World Champions, Australia out of the competition. The sheer delight on the faces of the Afghans players, coaching staff and fans alike is a sight to be seen and the players storm the pitch in celebration. As for Bangladesh, they were in with |
| One of the most epic matches you will ever witness in a World Cup and this game had everything except a Super Over. We had three, no, four rain stoppages, the DLS method also came in but eventually, it was Afghanistan who prevailed in this game and will face South Africa in a bid to play in the Grand Finale. Defending a meager total of 114 runs, Afghanistan needed early wickets and it was yet again Naveen-ul-Haq who stepped up and took the bull by its horns and picked up back-to-back wickets |
| Needing 115 to win initially, Bangladesh needed a special start as they needed to gun down the target in 12.1 overs if they were to qualify for the semifinals but they kept on losing wickets early on. They had to stop-start their innings on a few occasions as well but after the first 7-8 overs where they really pushed the envelope, they fell flat as they had lost too many wickets and focused on just getting the win. Litton Das who hasn't been in the best of forms in the last year or so was the |
| Earlier in the game, Rashid Khan opted to bat first on a used pitch, the exact one on which they beat the Aussies in the last game and once again, the duo of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran was able to put on a stand at the top. It wasn't a brisk one and neither of them could convert it into a big score this time around. Bangladesh fought back hard with the ball and managed to pick up wickets along with keeping runs to a minimum and it was the leggie Rishad Hossain who was the star as |
| The Presentation ceremony... |
| Naveen-ul-Haq is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his sensational bowling at the top and at the backend as well. He begins by saying that they were dreaming for the past few years about this day and says that he is at a loss for words to describe the feeling. Adds it is a very special moment for them as a team and as a country. He further adds that they knew Bangladesh were going to come hard in the powerplay to chase it down in 12.1 overs and says that they needed wickets inside the first six. Al |
| Najmul Hossain Shanto, the captain of Bangladesh says that they bowled really well but as a batting unit, they made some poor decisions, especially in the middle overs, and that cost them. Adds that the plan was to go hard till losing three wickets and then it was just about getting the win. Mentions that throughout the tournament they bowled well and lauds the likes of Rishad Hossain and the pacers and even the fielders but adds that going forward, they need to think about their plans with th |
| Rashid Khan, the skipper of Afghanistan says that it's like a dream for them as a team. Says the belief came when they defeated New Zealand. Says he is out of words to describe the emotions. Mentions that he thought they were 10-15 runs short but also says that 115 was the best score on this track. |
| And then there were four! It has been a long and humdinger of a tournament but we now know the four teams that will battle it out in the knockout phase of the competition. It will be South Africa taking on an upbeat Afghanistan in the first semifinal at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad on Thursday 27 June at 6 am IST (12.30 am GMT). Then, it will be a repeat clash of the semifinal from the last T20 World Cup where the reigning T20 World Champions England will take on an unbeaten Ind |
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