Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, 9th Match, Group B at Abu Dhabi, Asia Cup, Sep 16 2025 - Ball by Ball Commentary

And that's a wrap, folks! Thank you for staying with us for this game; we hope you enjoyed our coverage. This is Rashad Mahbub, signing off on behalf of Ranjith. Please be sure to check ESPNcricinfo for the Match Report and more exclusive content on the Asia Cup in the coming days. Until next time, Sayonara!

Time for the Calculations: With their victory today, Bangladesh has moved above Afghanistan in the points table, but their Super Four hopes are still hanging by a thread with a negative Net Run Rate of -0.27. For Bangladesh to keep their hopes of qualifying alive, they now need Afghanistan to beat Sri Lanka by a large margin--at least 65 runs. As for Afghanistan, they simply need to win their next match to secure their spot. If Sri Lanka are defending, the margin is 50 balls. We'll have to wait and see how it all unfolds.

Bangladesh Captain, Litton Das: "Winning the game is a little bit of a relief, but at the same time, we didn't bat well in the last four or five overs. We also didn't bowl well in the middle overs. I know we had enough runs on the board, but we were still 15 to 20 runs short with the bat. [Bowling unit] The way our bowlers bowled was very good, especially Nasum Ahmed, who played after a long time and showed his skill. Rishad Hossain also took a wicket in the middle overs. The bowling was very good today. The partnership between Saif Hassan and Tanzid Tamim was very crucial at the start. In the same way, in the bowling side, when Nasum came and took an early wicket, it made it even more special. [Support Sri Lanka?] I don't know, let's see [laughter].

Afghanistan Captain, Rashid Khan: "[Where They Lost the Game] We were in the game until the end. Until I got out, we were there, but we just couldn't finish it up. I think 30 runs in 15 balls nowadays is very achievable, but at that time, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and couldn't execute our shots well. [On the Bowling Performance] Definitely, the way we came back with the bowling was a huge job done. To restrict them to under 160s, after they had 90 in the first 10 overs, was a huge job. I think it was a 160-170-run wicket, but we played some irresponsible shots where it wasn't needed. [Next Match] It is a crucial time, especially in the Asia Cup, where you have very few games, and each game is quite important for us. The next game is a big one against Sri Lanka. We need to be well-prepared. We need to learn from our mistakes and be strong mentally, and that's going to be a challenge for all of us."

Player of the Match, Nasum Ahmed: "I always fancy bowling with the new ball. That's something I love the challenge and when the captain asked me to do it, I was ready for it. I was facing a little bit of a problem with gripping the ball properly due to sweat, but my priority was to keep the ball stump-to-stump."

Sandy: ""Afghan's last win vs Ban they won by 8 runs, tonight Ban winning against Afg. by 8 runs.""

Laiq Khan.H: "Could you please share the chances scenario for Afghanistan?" They just need to win against Sri Lanka to qualify for the Super Fours.

10:35 pm What a dream start for Bangladesh and Nasum! He trapped Atal for a golden duck on the very first ball of the innings and followed it up with a wicket-maiden over. However, Rishad dropped a straightforward catch of Ibrahim Zadran in the next over. Nasum struck again shortly after, trapping Ibrahim LBW. In stark contrast to Bangladesh's own start, Afghanistan only managed to score 27 runs in the powerplay, losing two crucial wickets. Just as Gurbaz and Gulbadin were starting to rebuild, Rishad came back to dismiss Gulbadin with a return catch. Right after the drinks break, Afghanistan lost the key wicket of Gurbaz, who had looked solid with 35 runs off 31 balls. As wickets continued to fall, the required run rate for Afghanistan climbed above 10. Omarzai gave Afghanistan a glimmer of hope with two massive sixes in the 14th over, scoring 20 runs and bringing the required run rate back under 10. This came after Litton Das's gamble with a part-time bowler backfired. Omarzai kept his team in the game with a few more big hits before Taskin Ahmed outsmarted him with a slower ball. Omarzai was out after a quickfire cameo of 30 runs off 16 balls. The death overs were full of twists and turns. A brilliant piece of fielding from Nurul resulted in Karim Janat being run out. Afghanistan's last hope, Rashid Khan, was then dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman with a wide, slower yorker. In the end, the Bangladesh bowlers and fielders held their nerve and restricted the runs, especially in the final overs, to secure the victory. This loss marks the 12th time Afghanistan had failed to chase a target of over 140 against a full-member Test nation in T20Is. The early struggle in the powerplay and several dropped catches and misfields in the field proved to be their downfall. They fell short by just 8 runs. Mustafizur took three wickets, while Taskin, Nasum, and Rishad each grabbed two. Don't go anywhere folks, post match presentation coming up shortly.

Sunny R: "From 133 (when Fizz missed the run out) to 146, these 13 runs could hunt BD at a later stage, when NRR will come into play, given that AFG wins vs SL."

Bangladesh won by 8 runs

Mustafa Moudi : "Finally we are getting a match that will see 20th over of the 2nd innings. The only other game to see 20th over of the 2nd innings was the first match of the tournament but that too was just a formality"

Taskin to bowl the last over, 22 needed from 6 balls.

Sifat Khawry : "Beyond individual skill, constant changes in the Afghan batting order and an overreliance on all-rounders have left the lineup unstable. The lack of enough specialist batters means they often struggle in tricky chases.."

hat-trick ball, here's Farooqi.

Mustafizur to bowl the penultimate. Fine leg, mid wicket, long on, long off and deep extra cover in place.

31 required from 18 balls, here's Nasum.

Orup Ovilashi: "Why Tanzim Hasan Shakib is on the field? " Substitute fielder for Tanzid Tamim. He was struggling with his hamstring.