BAN vs AFG: "Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Najmul Hossain Shanto Played Really Well" - Shakib Al Hasan After Dominant Win vs Afghanistan

The Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh National Cricket Team won by 89 runs against the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led Afghanistan National Cricket Team in the fourth match of the Asia Cup 2023 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Sunday, September 3.

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first in the match. They posted a mammoth total of 334/5 on the board, thanks to Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto’s spectacular centuries.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz scored 112 runs off 119 balls, with 7 fours and 3 sixes, and Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 104 runs off 105 balls, including 9 fours and 2 sixes. Also, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan chipped in with good contributions.

Defending the target, Shoriful Islam removed the dangerous opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the second over itself. After that, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi batted very well to keep their side in the game

However, once the aforementioned batters got out, Bangladesh came back to a dominant position in the match. In the end, Rashid Khan fought well, but no support from the other end meant Afghanistan were bowled out for 245 in 44.3 overs.

We played really well all-round, it was a good toss to win – Shakib Al Hasan

Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Shakib Al Hasan said that they played good all-round cricket against Afghanistan to clinch the victory. He said:

“We played really well all-round, it was a good toss to win. It wasn’t easy to play in the heat.”

Shakib Al Hasan further showered rich praise on Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto for their centuries. Shakib Al Hasan said:

“Mehidy and Shanto played really well and they set it up for us. We knew Mehidy had the ability and he has a good record against Afghanistan.”

Shakib Al Hasan signed off by lauding his fast bowlers. He said that Bangladesh pacers have been delivering consistent performances for quite some time and a victory in the match would give them a lot of confidence. Notably, Taskin Ahmed picked 4 wickets, Shoriful Islam got three wickets and Hasan Mahmud picked one wicket. Shakib Al Hasan said:

“The fast bowlers have been bowling really well. This win will give them a lot of confidence. We tried our best in this game, maybe not in the first game, but we gave our best in this one.”