Afghanistan v Bangladesh
Wisden's review of the seventh match, Afghanistan v Bangladesh
15-Apr-2016
At Canberra, February 18, 2015 (day/night). Bangladesh won by 105 runs. Toss: Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi fans and their tiger mascots comfortably outnumbered supporters of Afghanistan, on their World Cup debut. And, proudly though the Afghan drums beat, they could not inspire an upset: Bangladesh, who had lost this fixture in the Asia Cup a year earlier, drew on their greater experience to ease to a routine win. Despite Soumya Sarkar's brisk cameo, Shapoor Zadran (a left-arm Shoaib Akhtar wannabe) and the miserly Mirwais Ashraf had Bangladesh treading water at 119 for four in the 30th over. Then two former captains wrested back the initiative: Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim added 114 in 15.3 - Bangladesh's first century stand in a World Cup - including 48 from the batting powerplay. Afghanistan lost their way, and faced a much stiffer target than had seemed likely. When the canny Mashrafe bin Mortaza helped reduce them to three for three, the game was up. Afghanistan did manage two fifty partnerships but, of the established batsmen, only Mohammad Nabi, the captain, scored at anything like the required rate. Mortaza's figures of three for 20 reflected the assurance with which Bangladesh went about their task. The banana skin had been picked up and neatly placed in the bin. DILEEP PREMACHANDRAN
Man of the Match: Mushfiqur Rahim.
Bangladeshi fans and their tiger mascots comfortably outnumbered supporters of Afghanistan, on their World Cup debut. And, proudly though the Afghan drums beat, they could not inspire an upset: Bangladesh, who had lost this fixture in the Asia Cup a year earlier, drew on their greater experience to ease to a routine win. Despite Soumya Sarkar's brisk cameo, Shapoor Zadran (a left-arm Shoaib Akhtar wannabe) and the miserly Mirwais Ashraf had Bangladesh treading water at 119 for four in the 30th over. Then two former captains wrested back the initiative: Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim added 114 in 15.3 - Bangladesh's first century stand in a World Cup - including 48 from the batting powerplay. Afghanistan lost their way, and faced a much stiffer target than had seemed likely. When the canny Mashrafe bin Mortaza helped reduce them to three for three, the game was up. Afghanistan did manage two fifty partnerships but, of the established batsmen, only Mohammad Nabi, the captain, scored at anything like the required rate. Mortaza's figures of three for 20 reflected the assurance with which Bangladesh went about their task. The banana skin had been picked up and neatly placed in the bin. DILEEP PREMACHANDRAN
Man of the Match: Mushfiqur Rahim.