BAN vs AFG: Mushfiqur Rahim slams his 45th ODI fifty
Playing his 250th ODI, Bangladesh veteran Mushfiqur Rahim played a valiant knock against Afghanistan in Chattogram. Rahim registered his 45th ODI fifty and his fourth fifty against Afghanistan. He played a valiant knock of 69, giving some fight to Afghanistan as Bangladesh were skittled for 189 while chasing 331/9. Bangladesh lost the match by 142 runs and subsequently lost the series. Here's more.
A fighting hand from Rahim
Rahim came to the crease when Bangladesh were tottering at 65/4 in 16.3 overs. Unfortunately, Rahim saw Shakib Al Hasan and Afif Hossain get dismissed in quick succession. However, he stitched an 87-run partnership with Mehidy Hasan, taking the hosts beyond the 150-run mark. Rahim was the only batter to put up a fight, no other batter could even cross the 30-run mark.
Second-highest run-getter for Bangladesh in ODIs
Courtesy of another fifty, Rahim has now raced to 7,257 runs at an average of 37.21. Besides the 45 fifties, he has slammed nine centuries in this format. Only Tamim Iqbal (8,313) has scored more runs than Rahim in ODIs. However, he is the first Bangladeshi cricketer to feature in 250 ODI matches.
How did the match shape up?
After inviting Afghanistan to bat first, Bangladesh faced their wrath as their openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran hammered a record partnership of 256 runs. Ultimately, the visitors posted a mammoth total of 331/9. In reply, Bangladesh kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Rahim and Mehidy did try their best but it wasn't enough as the host were bundled out for 189.
