BAN vs AFG: "Need To Improve In All Departments" - Hashmatullah Shahidi's Strong Message To Afghanistan After Loss To Bangladesh

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

Losing the toss and bowling first, the Afghan bowlers were taken to the cleaners by the Bangladesh batters. Even the famed spin trio of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Nabi looked ineffective against the batters.

Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz dominated with the bat and smashed sensational centuries while adding 194 runs in 190 balls. In the end, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan provided the finishing touches to help their side post 334/5.

Chasing the target, Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah batted quite well. Also, Rashid Khan fought well in the end, still Afghanistan were bundled out for 245 in 44.3 overs.

I thought the target was chaseable – Hashmatullah Shahidi

Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Hashmatullah Shahidi said that the target would have been chased but they lost wickets in quick succession, as a result, they failed to chase it. He lauded the Bangladesh National Cricket Team bowling unit, saying that they bowled brilliantly in the beginning, and criticised his batters. Hashmatullah Shahidi said:

“I thought the target was chaseable. The outfield was quick and the target was chaseable, but we lost wickets. Their bowlers were good in the beginning, and our run rate was really low, that’s why we couldn’t win. “

Hashmatullah Shahidi further sent a strong message to his team, asserting that they need to make improvements in all departments as they weren’t good enough with bat or ball and their fielding was quite sloppy.

“We need to improve in all the departments. Today our bowling was not good enough, neither was our fielding. Lahore is near our country, so the fans were waiting for this game. Hopefully they will come and support us again in the next game,” Hashmatullah Shahidi added.