BAN vs AFG: Mohammad Nabi clocks his fifth T20I fifty
Veteran Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi played a defiant knock against Bangladesh in the first T20I in Sylhet. Nabi clocked his fifth T20I fifty and his second against Bangladesh. His 40-ball 54* helped the visitors reach a respectable total of 154/7 after losing wickets at regular intervals. Nabi's knock was laced with six fours and a solitary six. Here's more.
A fighting hand from Nabi
The veteran all-rounder came to the crease when Afghanistan were reeling 34/3 in 4.4 overs. Nabi added 20 runs with Karim Janat before the latter was dismissed. He then rebuilt the innings with a 35-run stand with Najibullah Zadran and almost reached the 90-run mark as Najibullah was removed. Lastly, his 56-run partnership with Azmatullah Omarzai was very crucial from Afghanistan's context.
Nabi races past 1,800 runs in T20Is
Courtesy of his crucial knock, the 38-year-old raced to 1,809 runs in 108 T20Is at 22.33. Overall, he is the second-highest run-getter for Afghanistan in this format. Only Mohammad Shahzad with 2,015 runs has scored more than him in this format. Nabi's tally includes five fifties in T20Is. He has amassed 203 runs in 10 T20Is against Bangladesh at 33.83 (50s: 2).
How did the Afghanistan innings shape up?
Bangladesh won the toss and invited Afghanistan to bat first. The visitors were off to a poor start as they were reeling at 32/3 inside five overs. Nabi and Omarzai's 56-run partnership helped Afghanistan post a fighting total of 154/7 in their 20 overs. Every Bangladeshi bowler scalped a wicket. While Shakib Al Hasan finished with figures of 2/27.
