Tigers rip through Afghan batting despite Ibrahim’s lone fight

Bangla Press Desk:  Bangladesh ripped through Afghanistan’s batting line-up, bowling them out for 190 in 44.5 overs in the second ODI of the three-match series in Abu Dhabi, despite a fighting knock of 95 off 140 balls with three fours and one six from opener Ibrahim Zadran.

Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz lost yet another the toss in the do-or-die encounter, with Afghanistan opting to bat first on a slow Abu Dhabi wicket.

Tanzim Hasan Sakib drew first blood as the in-form Rahmanullah Gurbaz was caught at deep square leg while attempting consecutive boundaries in the fifth over. Soon after, Sediqullah Atal fell trying to clear Tanzim over long-on off left arm spinner Tanvir Islam, leaving Afghanistan 38 for 2.

In-form batter Rahmat Shah then joined Ibrahim, and the right-handed pair looked steady until Rahmat suffered an unfortunate Achilles injury on 9 off 8 balls, forcing him to retire hurt.

He returned later, in the 46th over, only to face one ball from Rishad Hossain before collapsing in pain and being carried off the field on a wheelchair. The Afghanistan physio during the break says "most likely" it was curtains for Rahmat for this series.

Rahmat’s injury opened the door for Bangladesh to regain control. Miraz struck by going through Hashmatullah Shahidi’s defence, while Rishad removed Azmatullah Omarzai, who edged to Tanzid Hasan Tamim at slip.

Ibrahim, however, held the innings together with small partnerships involving Mohammad Nabi, Nangeyalia Kharote and Ghazanfar, taking Afghanistan close to the 200 mark. Miraz, Sakib, and Rishad chipped in with wickets to restrict the lower order and keep the run flow in check.

The Miraz-Rishad combination eventually ended Ibrahim’s incredible innings in the 43rd over when the opener’s pull off a short delivery was brilliantly caught by Rishad at midwicket.

Miraz finished with 3 for 42, while Rishad and Tanzim picked up two wickets each for Bangladesh.

BP/SP