Miraz admits Bangladesh fell short with bat on tricky Abu Dhabi surface

Bangla Press Desk: Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz admitted his side were “40 runs short” after a familiar batting collapse saw Afghanistan cruise to a five-wicket win in the opening ODI of the three-match series in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

On a slow, two-paced surface, Bangladesh managed only 221 in 48.5 overs despite fifties from Miraz and Towhid Hridoy. Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai then led the chase with a composed 40 off 44 balls after taking 3–40 with the ball to seal victory with 17 deliveries remaining.

“We lost too many wickets early,” Miraz said after the defeat. “It was difficult to bat here. Towhid played really well, but we didn’t get a partnership at the end. We were about 40 runs short.”

Bangladesh’s innings never quite recovered after being reduced to 53–3. Hridoy and Miraz added 101 for the fourth wicket, but both fell just as they looked set to push the total past 250. Hridoy was run out for 56, while Miraz made 60 off 87 before becoming Rashid Khan’s 200th ODI victim.

Rashid finished with 3–38, and Omarzai’s early breakthroughs further dented Bangladesh’s middle order. Debutant Saif Hassan (26) offered brief resistance, but the lower order crumbled once again as the innings lost its way.

Chasing 222, Afghanistan’s openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran laid a solid platform with a 52-run stand before Tanvir Islam’s sharp turn and Nurul Hasan’s quick stumping broke through. Tanzim Hasan Sakib then removed Sadiqullah Atal for five to raise faint hopes.

Rahmat Shah (50) and Gurbaz (50) steadied the innings with a 78-run partnership before Miraz briefly revived Bangladesh’s chances with two quick wickets — including a superb catch and a sharp delivery that breached Gurbaz’s defence.

But Omarzai restored calm, mixing caution with aggression to steer his side home alongside captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (33* off 46) and Mohammad Nabi (11* off 8).

Tanzim impressed with 3–31, while Tanvir and Miraz picked up one wicket each. The second ODI will be played at the same venue on October 11. 

BP/SP