Bangladesh outclass UAE in 1st T20I, take 1-0 lead: Stats
Mehidy Hasan Miraz shone with a three-fer as Bangladesh clinched a thrilling seven-run win over UAE in the first of two-match T20Is. Opener Chirag Suri (39) was the lone warrior in the 159-run chase for UAE while others faltered in Sunday's encounter (151/10). Earlier, a composed innings from Afif Hossain (77*) guided the visitors to 158/5. Here are the key stats.
How did the first T20I pan out?
Put to bat, Bangladesh lost the entire top order pretty early in the PP overs. Yasir Ali followed soon, thereby reducing Bangladesh to 47/4. The Tigers crawled to 77/5 before Afif and Nurul steered them to a competitive score. Leg-spinner Karthik Meiyappan (2/33) was the pick of the lot for UAE. The hosts started well but fell apart to lose the plot.
Nurul returns with a bang!
Nurul, who missed the Asia Cup 2022 due to injury, aced his return with a 25-ball 35*. The wicket-keeper batter thumped two fours and as many sixes. He joined hands with Afif to add 81* runs to the total. As per ESPNcricinfo, it's the highest sixth-wicket partnership by Bangladesh in the format and fourth-best overall. Overall, Nurul has 348 T20I runs, striking at 118.77.
Afif slams career-best score
Afif has had an eventful run in the format, right from the West Indies tour in July, managing scores of 34 and 50. Sensing the need for a hefty total, the southpaw stayed put to bash a 55-ball 77*. He clocked his third fifty in T20Is and career-best score in the format. Afif has now raced to 826 T20I runs while striking at 120.93.
Suri stands tall
Suri was the only positive for UAE in what turned out to be a dismal show on the batting front. He scored a 24-ball 39, hitting seven fours and striking at 162.50. He has now steered to 786 T20I runs at 31.44.
Bangladesh have a perfect record against UAE
Bangladesh willed themselves from a challenging spot to claim their second T20I win against UAE. Their maiden meet was during the 2016 Asia Cup, with the Tigers humbling UAE by 51 runs. As per Kausthub Gudipati, Bangladesh played their maiden bilateral game in UAE.
Key numbers for Bangladeshi bowlers
Mehidy, who returned to T20Is after almost four years in Asia Cup 2022, bagged a three-fer (3/17). The off-spinner now owns seven T20I scalps at an economy of 8.95. Left-arm quick Shoriful Islam was a class act as well, claiming 3/21 in 3.4 overs. He now has 30 wickets at 20.53. Ace bowler Mustafizur Rahman (2/31) has raced to 94 scalps at 20.94.
