Shanto, debutant Jaker Ali take Bangladesh to 252

Bangladesh 252 for 7 (Shanto 76, Kharote 3-28) vs Afghanistan

Earlier, Afghanistan’s quartet of spinners – Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Nangeyalia Kharote and AM Ghazanfar – had much to do with limiting Bangladesh’s scoring. They bowled 38 of the 50 overs, conceding just 144 runs while picking up seven wickets. Omarzai could have dismissed Jaker in the penultimate over of the innings had Hashmatullah Shahidi not dropped him.

Shahidi had employed Ghazanfar as early as the second over of the innings, which went for five runs. Two other overs out of the first three, from Fazalhaq Farooqi, had gone for 18. Tanzid Hasan, who had hit three boundaries off Farooqi by then, started the fourth over by slogging Ghazanfar for six over mid-on off a full toss. Next ball, Ghazanfar got one to dip on off stump on a very full length, and as Tanzid repeated the shot, he found Nabi at mid-on.

Despite that early wicket, Shanto and Soumya Sarkar accelerated and took Bangladesh to 57 in nine overs. Shanto was on a run-a-ball 20 in the 12th over, after which he slowed down. At the other end, Soumya clipped and pulled Omarzai for four and six, respectively, in the 14th over. Bangladesh had scored 82 by the end of that over, but got only another 84 in the next 23 despite losing only two more wickets. All four spinners operated during that phase, and conceded just two fours and a six.

However, Afghanistan were fortunate to get the first of the two wickets during that period. Soumya was given out lbw on 35, as Rashid celebrated before appealing. Soumya had a chat with his partner Shanto, who advised not to review, only replays to confirm that the ball had pitched outside leg. A 71-run second-wicket partnership was broken, and even Mehidy Hasan Miraz, the new batter, couldn’t really get going.

Shanto took 75 balls to get to his half-century, which he completed halfway into the 28th over. Both Mehidy and Shanto struggled to put the Afghanistan spinners away, and only kept ticking singles amid plenty of dot balls. In the 32nd over, Shanto was given out lbw on 55 off Ghazanfar, but he reviewed and overturned the decision, with the ball deemed to go down the leg side.

But Rashid broke the 53-run stand when he cleaned Mehidy up with a googly next over. Twelve overs remained, and Bangladesh had 174 on the board, with Shanto slow but steady and Towhid Hridoy starting confidently with 11 off his first 15 balls. But Kharote struck three times in the next three overs to dent Bangladesh’s hopes of a big total, with Hridoy, Shanto and Mahmudullah departing in quick succession.

But Jaker and Nasum ensured Bangladesh fought back late to post a competitive score. The last six overs were taken for 60 runs, as Nasum started the fun with a slog sweep for six over deep square leg off Kharote. When Afghanistan switched to pace in the 47th over, Jaker bashed Farooqi for back-to-back sixes, one of which landed over the roof over deep midwicket. Nasum ended that over with a boundary over Farooqi’s head, as Bangladesh pinched 18.

Nasum hit 25 at just better than a run a ball before Jaker took past Bangladesh past 250, and had a debut to remember.