Bangladesh sealed the three-match series with a hard-fought 30-run victory over Afghanistan in a dramatic low-scoring thriller at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. After dominating the opening match, Bangladesh faced a completely different challenge in the second encounter as Afghanistan’s bowlers ripped through their top order early. However, the experience of Shakib Al Hasan and a brilliant late counterattack helped Bangladesh recover before their bowlers completed another dominant performance.
The match began disastrously for Bangladesh. Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, and Litton Das were all dismissed without scoring, leaving the hosts shocked at 0 for 3. Afghanistan’s fast bowlers, led by Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen ul Haq, dominated the powerplay with disciplined bowling and relentless pressure.
With Bangladesh collapsing rapidly, Shakib Al Hasan stepped in to rescue his side with a composed innings of 26 runs from 18 balls. While wickets continued to fall around him, Shakib absorbed the pressure and rebuilt the innings carefully. Nasum Ahmed then provided valuable lower-order support with a quick 28 from 15 deliveries, including powerful hitting against the spinners.
Just when Afghanistan looked set to dismiss Bangladesh for a tiny total, Mustafizur Rahman produced a sensational cameo at the end of the innings. Mustafizur smashed an unbeaten 16 runs from only 3 balls at an astonishing strike rate above 533, helping Bangladesh reach 87 before being bowled out in 8.4 overs. Though the total looked below par, those late runs proved decisive.
Afghanistan’s chase started in complete chaos. Shoriful Islam destroyed the top order with a fiery opening spell, removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, and Sediqullah Atal to leave Afghanistan struggling badly at 6 for 3.
Although Azmatullah Omarzai fought bravely with an unbeaten 20 and Mohammad Nabi added 12 runs, Bangladesh’s bowlers never allowed the chase to settle. Shakib once again delivered with the ball, claiming 4 wickets for 15 runs and finishing the innings in style. Mustafizur Rahman also bowled an outstanding spell, conceding just 2 runs in his 2 overs while taking a wicket.
Afghanistan were eventually bowled out for only 57 runs in 7.3 overs as Bangladesh secured a convincing 30-run win and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. After winning a high-scoring contest in the opening match, Bangladesh proved in the second game that they could also dominate under pressure in a low-scoring battle.