1st T20I, Bangladesh pip Afghanistan in last-over thriller: Key stats
Bangladesh outclassed Afghanistan to win the first T20I at the Sylhet International Stadium. The hosts were motivated to win the match after they lost the ODI series. Bangladesh hung on to register a two-wicket win over the Afghans to go 1-0 up in the two-match T20I series. Bangladesh restricted Afghanistan to 154/7 and then despite early hiccups, they chased it down.
How did the match pan out?
Afghanistan were off to a poor start. They were reeling at 32/3 inside five overs. Mohammad Nabi (54*) played a fighting knock as Afghanistan posted 154/7. In reply, Bangladesh had a similar start at 64/4 in 10.1 overs. But Tawhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain's contribution kept Bangladesh in the game. Karim Janat claimed a hat-trick but Bangladesh crossed the line off the second-last delivery.
Zazai completes 1,000 T20I runs
Hazratullah Zazai could only manage eight runs but he became the seventh Afghanistan batter to complete 1,000 runs in T20Is. Mohammad Shahzad (2,015), Nabi (1,809), Najibullah Zadran (1,707), Asghar Afghan (1,382), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (1,035), and Samiullah Shinwari (1,013) are ahead of him in the T20I runs tally. Overall, he has slammed 1,003 runs in 37 T20Is at 29.50 (50s: 3, 100s:1).
Nabi shines with a fighting hand
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. He is the second-highest run-getter for Afghanistan in T20Is. Only Shahzad with 2,015 runs has scored more than him in this format. Nabi's tally includes five fifties in T20Is. Overall, he has scored 1,809 runs.
Hridoy plays a match-winning knock
Hridoy showed great maturity to apply himself in a dire situation. Bangladesh were in trouble at 39/3 in 6.3 overs. He tried rebuilding with Shakib Al Hasan but the latter was dismissed soon after. Then, he managed to stitch a 73-run stand with Shamim to revive their hopes of winning the match. His knock of 32-ball 47* is his highest T20I score.
Karim Janat's exceptional hat-trick
With Bangladesh needing six runs off the last over, Janat dragged Afghanistan into the game when he scalped a hat-trick. He dismissed Mehidy Hasan and then went on to remove Taskin Ahmed and Nasum Ashmed. He has raced to 37 wickets for Afghanistan at 26.81.
Key numbers for the Bangladeshi players
Bangladesh skipper Shakib claimed 2/27 from his four overs. He has now raced to 138 wickets in the format at 20.68. Versus Afghanistan, he has 13 scalps at 16.50. Taskin Ahmed managed 1/29 from four overs. He now has 49 scalps at 29.12. Litton Das scored 18 for Bangladesh. He has amassed 1,635 runs, steering clear of MS Dhoni (1,617).
